These Extraordinary Artists Use Ballpoint Pens To Create Works Of Beauty

I swear I will never look at Bic ballpoint pens with the same jaundiced eye ever again.

Samuel Silva is an attorney in Portugal whose ‘hobby’ is creating art. He uses Bic pens to draw brilliant, vivid images so lifelike, they look like photographs.

Now I can’t speak for the rest of the Pen Vibe crew, but I couldn’t draw a stick figure if I had to – even a legless, armless one. That’s why those who can draw fascinate me so much…because they have this magical ability that runs from their eyes through their imaginations and down to their fingers to create the most amazing things.

Like this guy. Just look at what he can do.

It bears repeating: This is not a photograph. According to the Huffington Post, it’s a drawing based on an image taken by Russian photographer Kristina Taraina. It took Silva about 30 hours, using seven different colors, to recreate it.

On his DeviantArt page, the 29-year-old attorney says:

Ballpoint pens are as underestimated as they are a powerful medium. It’s not about what you use, it’s about how you use it.

Be sure to visit the page to see even more examples of his work, along with some FAQs on how he does it. Some of his prints are even for sale.

And if you like those, also check out the work of London artist Mark Powell. He uses a simple black Bic to draw incredibly detailed portraits on vintage envelopes, and some of his also have that ‘is it a drawing or a photo’ quality to them.

For more, check out these drawings of the women in his life by Spanish artist Juan Francisco Casas (includes nudes), and these by Scottish artist Paul Cadden, whose pencil drawings are so real you expect them to step off the page and start breathing.

Image by Juan Francisco Casas

Image drawn with just a pencil by Paul Cadden

Have any favourite artists of your own who work in pen or pencil? Let us know. Better yet, if you have any of your own work you want to show off, send it to us so we can see what you do with your favourite pens and pencils.