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Showing posts with label pencil art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pencil art. Show all posts

Portraits Drawn On World and Celestial Maps by Ed Fairburn



above: Windermere, Pencil on a cropped map of the English Lakes – specifically Lake Windermere.

Cardiff-based illustrator Ed Fairburn sees things in maps most of us do not. His map-based portraits combine the art of cartography with the drawing of the human face. Making the curves and lines of the two dimensional terrain (or the heavens as is the case with his celestial drawings) blend with the curves and lines of human features brings a dimensionality to both the maps and the portraits. The combination of the two has a surprising appeal.

Bartholomew Series (Pencil on original Bartholomew maps of Pembroke (top) and Galloway (bottom):



Deutschland (Ink on a 1977 road map of Germany):


Cambridge (Ink on a vintage street map of Cambridge):

Both the Deutschland and Cambridge pieces shown above were produced as part of a wider submission to Cowbridge Music Festival.

Western Front (Ink on reproduced military maps of the Western Front (WWI):



30 Miles Around (ink on a map of Bournemouth):


From His Michelin Series:


Zambia Charity Project (Oil and pencil on an OS map of South Wales, trimmed and mounted on plywood):


Planisphère Céleste (Pencil on celestial star charts):


Der Gestirnte Himmel/The Starry Heavens (Pencil on celestial star charts):



The celestial charts are divided by many concentric circles starting from the centre – in keeping with this, the portraits have been formed by pencilling many concentric circles, placed and layered to suggest line and tone. On closer view, the smaller details blend with each labelled star shown on the maps.
Both works measure 30″ x 30″

About the artist:


Ed Fairburn is an Illustration graduate whose work is mostly figurative. He paints, draws and constructs using a flexible range of tangible media across a wide range of surfaces and contexts, allowing his practice to exist across various disciplines.

He says of his Map-based portraiture "Through my studies of the human form I examine the patterns and structures which exist across the body. I disassemble those structures and reconstruct them onto pre-patterned surfaces, including maps. The creative process involves synchronising both subject and surface. I search for similarities between the characteristics of the human figure and the topographical features of the map, resulting in a unique amalgamation."

Fairburn has exhibited internationally and has a collection of original works and prints available to purchase here. He is also able to work on a commission basis.

Ed Fairburn

Pencils Packaged To Make the Portrait of Russian Mathematician Grigori Perelman.




Using a portrait of Russian Mathematician Grigori Perelman by artist Jules Julian, designers Alan Temiraev and Volodenka Zotov created a beautifully designed pencil set.

The packaging is designed so that when intact, the eight individually boxed graphite pencils make up the illustrated portrait, by Jules Julien, of the Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman, famous for solving the the legendary Poincaré Conjecture.*



The beautifully designed pencil box has a die-cut window in the shape of the portrait's head and foil stamping. The interior of the box has a color printed image of the universe.





Each graphite pencil is a different degree of lead  (2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B) and individually packaged in multi-colored four-sided boxes so that, when properly aligned, they make up the graphic portrait of Perelman seen through the die-cut window.






Grigori (or Grigory) Perelman:


*Perelman solved the legendary Poincaré Conjecture, one of the world's most difficult mathematical tasks. He was awarded the Field Medal but Perelman didn't show up to claim the award, and said he doesn't want it. He told a British newspaper, "I do not think anything that I say can be of the slightest public interest." Refusing to take the one million dollars in prize money, he remarked "Why do I need a million dollars if I can control the universe?"

Designers: Alan Temiraev, Volodenka Zotov
Illustrators: Julien Jules, Phil
images courtesy of The Bold Studio on behance, first sighted on Fubiz

The 2012 ArtPrize Winner Adonna Khare And A Close Look At Her Mural.



above: detail from 'Elephants', the first place winner of the 2012 ArtPrize

ArtPrize has become the world’s largest art competition by combining $560,000 in total prizes with an open call for artists, venues, and critics. This year's first place winner, "Elephants" by Adonna Khare is an illustrated series of life sized Elephants, intertwined with a menagerie of animals. (Links to all the finalists are at the end of this post).


above: Adonna Khare and her winning piece, "Elephants"

The large mural was setup to function as a triptych and engage the viewers in the transformation of the work. The triptych is still a work in progress. Below are many images and details from the piece (courtesy of the both the artist and ArtPrize).

The Full Mural:


Left Panel:


Right Panel:


The Artist and the Center Panel:


Mural in progress from afar:


The Incredible Details

Detail (See No Evil):

Detail (Sleeping Chimp):

Detail (All chimps):

Detail (Chimp and Mini Giraffes)

Detail (Crane and balloon dogs):

Detail (tree):


As exhibited at ArtPrize in Michigan:



Close-ups:






Links to the other ArtPrize finalists and juried awards:

2012 Top Ten
Second Place: "Song of Lift" by Martijn van Wagtendok
Third Place: "Rebirth of Spring" by Frits Hoendervanger
Fourth Place: "Stick-to-it-ive-ness: Unwavering pertinacity; perseverance" by Richard Morse
Fifth Place: "Lights in the Night" by Mark Carpenter and Dan Johnson
Sixth Place: "Life in Wood" by Dan Heffron
Seventh Place: "Origami" by Kumi Yamashita
Eighth Place: "The Chase" by Artistry of Wildlife
Ninth Place: "Return to Eden" by Sandra Bryant
Tenth Place: "City Band" by Chris LaPorte

2012 Juried Awards
Juried Grand Prize: "Displacement (13208 Klinger St)" by Design 99
Urban Space Award: "Flight" by Dale Rogers
2-D Award: "Habitat" by Alois Kronschlager
3-D Award: "More or Less" by ABCD 83
Venue Award: "SITE:LAB" at 54 Jefferson
Time/Performance Award: "Three Phases" by Complex Movements

About the artist:
Adonna Khare has been recognized by The Los Angeles Times, U-Press Telegram, and Edward Goldman on NPR

B.A. in Art from California State University Long Beach
M.F.A in Art from CSULB
2007 Award for Distinguished Acheivement in Creative Activity

Permanent collection of the Long Beach Museum of Art as well as numerous private collections throughout the world. Member of The Drawing Center New York.

Selected works can be obtained from the Lora Schlesinger Gallery at Bergamot Station, Santa Monica.

For a current pricelist please contact Adonna Khare.

Vintage Looking Photos Are Actually Miniature Pencil Drawings by Artist Paul Chiappe.




above: Paul Chiappe, Untitled 6, 2007 Pencil on paper, 5 x 2.5cm (note how he included Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in the above image)

I came across Paul Chiappe's unusual and frankly, astonishing, work while reading this wonderful 5 part series of 100 artists to watch at ArtInfo.


above: Untitled 48, 2010 Pencil on paper 3.6 x 3.4cm


above: Untitled 44, 2010 Pencil on paper 2.5 x 2cm


At first I thought they were slightly out of focus, vintage family and yearbook photos and then I realized I was looking at miniature masterpieces using mainly pencil (some are done using paint which is then airbrushed).


above: Untitled 46, 2010 Pencil on paper 3.4 x 3.4cm

above: Untitled 49, Paul Chiappe 2011. Pencil on Paper. 4 x 6 cm

A little Sally Mann-meets-Diane Arbus (two of my favorite photographers), Paul's drawings are simultaneously haunting and nostalgic. And small. Scarcely larger than 5cm in width, the 27 year old Scottish artist's images replicate elementary school photos, yearbook photos and what look like posed family photos - not unlike with what my own childhood albums are filled.


above: Untitled 34, 2008 Pencil on paper 3.8 x 2.4cm


above: Yearbook 1 drawings (grouping)



above: four separate images from his Yearbook 1 series

The subjects are dressed and styled in clothing from bygone eras, ranging from the Victorian period to the 1970s, with blurred and distressed faces and surroundings. The pieces are so small that sometimes a subject's face is no more than 2mm in size. It requires a magnifying glass to truly see the details.


above: A Crow Left of the Murder, 2007 Pencil on paper

above: A Crow Left of the Murder (detail), 2007 Pencil on paper


above: Untitled 29, 2008 Pencil on paper 3.4 x 5cm


above: Untitled 2, 2005 Pencil on paper 7 x 5cm

As quoted in an article by Jessica Satherly from the UK's Daily Mail, Paul, who presently works and lives in Edinburgh, says ‘I enjoy trawling through old nostalgic photographs, wherever I come across them.


above: Untitled 8, 2007 Pencil on paper 5 x 3cm

‘I find it particularly interesting looking at people in old photographs and appreciating the differences and similarities, across different periods, cultures and personalities.


above: Untitled 47, Paul Chiappe 2010. Pencil on Paper. 3.3 x 5.35cm

‘My interest is captured by the naive charm and androgyny of the children in the images I use, who display obvious personalities.


above: Untitled 42, 2010 Pencil & Acrylic on paper 5.9 x 4.4cm

‘Using old photos allows me to play with the idea of memory more than a very current image would and works as a device to force people to cast their minds back.’

'The scale stems from an interest in miniatures, where there is an intimacy forged between the viewer and drawing,' adds the 27-year-old artist.

Paul continued: ‘The scale stems from an interest in miniatures, where there is an intimacy forged between the viewer and drawing.

‘I also like working on a small scale for technical reasons - it makes sense for me to produce small work because it wouldn't be practical to produce large works with the same level of detail.

‘Often people don't realise when looking at my drawings on a computer screen that sometimes the faces in the drawings are in fact as small as 2mm.



‘I am constantly experimenting with other mediums and surfaces. I have drawn with pencil since primary school.

‘I remember even in primary school meticulously copying images for art class.

'I would end up drawing dolphins and things from wildlife books.

‘Basically, anything I would draw I'd make sure it was as realistic as possible.

‘I feel comfortable using this medium and enjoy the control pencil affords me.

‘I also like the fact that complex images can be produced using such a rudimentary medium.

‘I've always done quite realistic drawings.’

Images and info from the artist and the Daily Mail.

Paul Chiappe

Representing Gallery:
Madder 139
137 Whitecross Street & Playhouse Yard, London, EH1Y 8JL
+44(0)20 7490 3667

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