Artist reuses vintage envelopes to create remarkable biro portraits

Both my brother and I thought of ourselves as artists when we were kids. He the kind that could actually draw and paint, and me the kind that pretended that I could actually draw and paint.

At least once a year (until I was 14 or 15) we bought art supplies at our favorite bookstore. We got paint brushes, watercolor sets, color pencils, crayons and paint tubes. But, soon I realized, I wasn't artistic and creative enough to pursue a degree in fine arts. And no amount of expensive equipment can make me a better artist. Sabi nga sa Tagalog, "nasa Indian yan, wala sa pana."

Take, for example, Mark Powell. The London-based artist draws incredibly detailed portraits of elderly people using only a standard ballpoint pen. Know what I love more about Mark than his awesome drawings? His canvases.

The University of Huddersfield graduate uses old envelopes, maps, books and newspapers to create incredible life-like illustrations. His obsession with vintage paper documents first started when he found an envelope in an antique shop that had been sent from the front line in World War I.

You can check out more of Mark's portraits on his website. You can also follow him on Twitter for the latest updates on his creations.

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