Samuel Silva's Incredible Photorealistic Ballpoint Pen Drawings
I thought ballpoint pen drawings were inherently monochromatic, but then I discovered Samuel Silva’s
ballpoint pen art. Using just eight different colored ballpoint pens,
Silva creates incredibly photorealistic portraits of people, animals and
landscapes. Samuel Silva uses regular BIC ballpoint pens and each
drawing can take from 5 to 50 hours to finish. “I don't mix them
[colors] nor blend them. Ballpoint pen ink dries instantly and can not
be erased. I just cross hatch the different colors in layers to create
the illusion of blending and the illusion of colors I don't actually
have”, explains Samuel Silva on his DeviantArt page.
Silva says
he started drawing from the early age of just 2. “I started drawing and
developing my own style of ballpoint pen drawing back when I was in
school, in simple classroom sketches in the back of my exercise books. I
never imagined there were so many brilliantly masterful ballpoint
artists out there.”
The 29-year-old Portugal based Samuel Silva
is an attorney by profession and art is just his “hobby”. I would love
to see what he achieves when he makes art his profession.
“Ballpoint
pen is not my only medium”, Silva says, “it's just the one I'm
currently trying to master. At this point in my life I'm proficient with
chalk, pencil, color pencil, pastels, oils and acrylics. Maybe one day
I'll create an account just to share those.”