piiritlejad

Piiritlejad are Estonian artists who specialize in line drawings or delineations. The term is formed from piiritlema, meaning to delineate or outline, with the agent suffix -ja and the plural ending -jad. The singular form is piiritleja.

In contemporary Estonian, the most common terms for someone who draws pictures are joonistaja (draughtsman/illustrator) or koomik (cartoonist). Piiritleja is relatively rare and is generally found in historical texts, archival descriptions, or discussions of traditional printmaking and technical illustration. The word emphasizes contour work and outlines rather than extensive shading or painting, reflecting a focus on line rather than color or volume.

Historically, piiritlejad could have been involved in various forms of line-based reproduction, including book illustration, engravings, woodcuts, or maps where clear outlines were essential. In such contexts their role overlapped with other terms for artists who drew or drafted images, depending on the medium and era.

Today, the distinction between piiritleja and joonistaja is often subtle, and usage is influenced by genre, medium, and period. While piiritleja may appear in archival catalogs or discussions of traditional techniques, it is not commonly used as a standard professional designation in modern Estonian.

See also: joonistaja; koomik; kujundaja.