Skip to main content

Helena Hauss draws awesomely detailed ballpoint pen illustrations


Paris-based illustrator Helena Hauss takes simple ballpoint pens and uses them to create huge drawings (usually around 100cm x 70cm) with incredible detail. I really like the vivid and contrasted colors of her illustrations, which depict teens thriving on early adulthood as they drink, kiss, party and discover the world around them.

Helena started drawing with ballpoint pens in high school and became so accustomed to using them that she never found herself at ease with other medium. "I started drawing all through high school in my exercise books rather than writing down what the teacher was saying," she explains on her website. "And using a Bic biro was always a good way not to get caught!"

Below are some of my favorites:






[h/t: Design Collector]

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Thai artist paints on mosquito nets

I find them quite intriguing, these ghostly portraits that Uttaporn Nimmalaikaew paints on mosquito nets. His creations look like a hologram, changing form depending on where the viewer stands. Overall, they're gloomy, haunting, and endlessly fascinating. I could stare at them for ages. [h/t: Colossal ]

Experiencing Flight Through an Eagle's Eyes

Have you ever looked up and wondered, "What does it feel like to soar majestically like an eagle?" This video offers a captivating glimpse. Expert bird handler Lloyd Buck attached a small 360-degree camera and a GPS tracker directly to the back of one of these magnificent predatory birds. The entire setup creates a stunning, first-person virtual reality experience—only this one is real and features a creature with an impressively large wingspan. However, this isn't just for cool footage. The real mission is to capture valuable scientific data: examining how quickly an eagle can gain altitude and precisely how its incredible wings are adapted to achieve such breathtaking, effortless lift.

Drawn, layered and torn

Tin-aw Art Gallery led me to Lui Gonzales . This UP graduate creates stunning works of art by drawing, layering and eventually tearing them. The result is a riotous, visual feast. Her work is a reminder that before you can experiment, you have to have the skills. And, before you can be a rebel, you have to understand what you're tearing apart. No pun intended. Lui starts by drawing on tracing paper after deciding how many layers of illustrations would be included in the piece. The average is five. But she once made a 32-layer work that took a year to finish. Then, after layering one over the other, she rips the paper from top to bottom. Lui was one of the delegates who represented the Philippines at the 2010 ASEAN Youth Camp for Visual Arts in Vietnam. She had her first solo exhibition in 2018 at Eskinita Gallery titled Colorless Confetti , followed by a group show,  Simulcra , in Singapore last February. If you happen to be in Metro Manila, I suggest y...