# Sketch Generation with Drawing Process Guided by Vector Flow and Grayscale

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2012.09004 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.09004/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 16 Dec 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [CLIPascene: Scene Sketching with Different Types and Levels of Abstraction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.17256/) (2022)
- [DiffSketcher: Text Guided Vector Sketch Synthesis through Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.14685/) (2023)
- [Im2Oil: Stroke-Based Oil Painting Rendering with Linearly Controllable Fineness Via Adaptive Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.13219/) (2022)
- [Freehand Sketch Generation from Mechanical Components](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.05966/) (2024)
- [CraftSVG: Multi-Object Text-to-SVG Synthesis via Layout Guided Diffusion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.00412/) (2024)
- [Sketch & Paint: Stroke-by-Stroke Evolution of Visual Artworks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.20119/) (2025)
- [CLIPDraw++: Text-to-Sketch Synthesis with Simple Primitives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.02345/) (2023)
- [Data-Efficient Brushstroke Generation with Diffusion Models for Oil Painting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.01103/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

We propose a novel image-to-pencil translation method that could not only generate high-quality pencil sketches but also offer the drawing process. Existing pencil sketch algorithms are based on texture rendering rather than the direct imitation of strokes, making them unable to show the drawing process but only a final result. To address this challenge, we first establish a pencil stroke imitation mechanism. Next, we develop a framework with three branches to guide stroke drawing: the first branch guides the direction of the strokes, the second branch determines the shade of the strokes, and the third branch enhances the details further. Under this framework's guidance, we can produce a pencil sketch by drawing one stroke every time. Our method is fully interpretable. Comparison with existing pencil drawing algorithms shows that our method is superior to others in terms of texture quality, style, and user evaluation.