30 Incredibly Sketched Postcards, Posters, Flyers, and More

With many businesses focusing so intently on online advertising and marketing (for good reason), we sometimes forget just how important and even fashionable print ads and art still is. However, something big brands know is that print ads are an important part of leading customers to online ads, offers, or simply the company website or social media accounts. Because consumers are so inundated by ads, though, it is as necessary as ever to make print ads appealing enough to viewers for them to read the message.

This may be why sketched ads seem to be appearing quite often. Hand-drawn sketches give both ads and artwork a raw, sometimes retro design. Other times, it gives a more grunge look to flyers or postcards.

“Artisanal art pieces have more character and depth that should not be forgotten in this digital era”, says designer Russel Jones. “Take a look at Nestingdolls.co, for example. It’s a modern e-commerce company but they produce one-of-a-kind Matryoshka doll pieces because they’re all painted by hand.”

The following collection of sketches include postcards, posters, flyers, and other advertising media such as a billboard and even a TV commercial. While not all of the examples in the collection below are actual ads (many are simply artwork), they all are excellent for gathering ideas on how sketches can be used in commercial graphic design. So take a look and be sure to let us know which are your favorite!

Sketched Postcards

Postcards are an excellent and quick way to send a loved one a handwritten note, to collect, or to send an offer to customers by snail mail. To really give postcards a nostalgic or personal look and feel, use a hand-sketched design, such as the following stunning examples:

Old Shop (Ten An) in Tsukishima, Tokyo by Russell Stutler

Bentendo on Shinobazu Pond by Russell Stutler

Daisy Kutter Postcard

Sketched Flowers Thank You Postcard

Subway Postcard Sketches by Russell Stutler

San Diego Zoo Postcard Sketch by Desiree

Geraniums for a Postcard by AfricanTapestry

Sketched Posters

The following collection of hand-drawn posters include those done for vintage as well as modern movies, wall hangings, and even an original poster drawing done of WWII concentration camp victims. All are an excellent source of inspiration and can help anyway gather great ideas for hand sketched posters of their own.

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds Movie Poster

Elephants Mural by Adonna Khare

Sketched Carrie Movie Poster

Megan Fox Sketch

WWII Concentration Camp Prisoner Sketches

Black and White Blossom by Joy Rector

Gold Lace Cockerel by Moonlake

Sketched Flyers

A flyer sketched by hand really stands out from other flyers, simply because the hand-drawn look isn’t done as often anymore. However, these sketched flyers still have to stunning enough to really capture and keep attention long enough for passersby to read the message. The following collection includes stunning examples of flyer artwork.

The Paper Bag Flyer

Hand Drawn Flyer by Liz Potter

Hand Drawn Flyer by Michael A. and Chron joe

1992 Flyer Advertising a Show in Chicago, IL

Flyer for Fox Point

Discotheque Flyer Illustration by Miriam Sanz

Flyer by Kim Naomi Krismann

And more…

The following are a compilation of a few hand-sketched ads and logos. Some of these are a mixture of sketching, watercolor, or digital painting, but all are impressively eye-catching.

30 Incredibly Sketched Postcards, Posters, Flyers, and More

Sketched Postcards

Old Shop (Ten An) in Tsukishima, Tokyo by Russell Stutler