LARGER THAN LIFE PEN DRAWINGS of
DESIGN and POP OBJECTS on 
COTTON PAPER


BACKGROUND
I always have been fascinated by the power and elegance of black and white, both in fine arts and in photography. I had an education and I worked as a product designer for ten years, objects attract me, in particular their aesthetics, textures, materials, volumes. I feel inspired by the stories they tell, their personalities, the ingenuity of their creators, their hidden world. At some point of my life I felt that I had to combine these two passions. The result of this are my artworks.

TECHNIQUE: BLACK INK PEN ON COTTON PAPER
The use of pen, unlike pencil, allows to get a rich, vivid texture with a vibrant touch. You can achieve a very intense black by means of which the contrasts and plays of light strongly emerge. The rough surface of the paper further accentuates this effect. The technique I use is simple yet quite laborious: I draw the subject with the pen, many pens for each illustration actually, by superimposing a layer of chaotic lines on top of another, until I get the right nuances in even the smallest details. Pens: felt-tipped, intense black pigment, water-proof, tips from 0.1 to 0.8 mm, fade-resistant. Paper: cold pressed, 100% cotton, extra white, weight 640 grams / square meter.

PROCESS: ALTER, SHOOT, DRAW
My process is quite simple: I choose the subject, I arrange it in a photographic studio, I shoot a few tens of photographs to get the perfect one in terms of composition, contrasts, lights and shadows. At that point, I meticulously reproduce it with technical black ink pen on rough grain paper. Each illustration can require from 50 up to 250 hours of work. Normally I do not just reproduce an object as it is, but with simple interventions such as a special coating, a deformation, the combination with other objects I want to get a surprise, a “twist” on the story that the object recounts.

SUBJECTS
My subjects are iconic pieces of design history and pop culture objects. Each of us is familiar with each subject yet can relate to it in a personal, unique way that has to do with his own experience and memories. When we find these objects in a new context, this increases the element of surprise.