Pencil Drawing

January 19, 2020

Interview: Artist Spends 5 Years Drawing Giant Colored Pencil Map of North America

Artist and cartographer Anton Thomas is making waves for his enormous, hand-drawn map of North America. Executed in pen and colored pencil over the course of nearly 5 years, he spent almost 4,000 hours creating this incredibly detailed view of the continent. It's an ambitious project that required Thomas' dedication and a lot of sacrifice; but in the end, he was rewarded both personally and professionally for his trouble.

Read Article

September 28, 2018

Artist Merges Cartography with Ink and Pencil Drawings to Create Beautiful Portraits

British artist Ed Fairburn uses maps as his canvas to create incredible portrait drawings. Each detailed work merges the topographic lines of cartography with the hand-drawn contours of the subject’s face, resulting in a captivating coexistence between landscape and humanity. Rendered using traditional drawing materials such as ink and pencil, Fairburn starts by making gradual changes to various types of maps to “tease out” the human form.

Read Article

August 26, 2017

Artist’s Giant Pencil Drawings Blur the Line Between Hyperrealism and Surrealism

Self-taught artist Jono Dry brings his imagination to life with a pencil and paper. In his awe-inspiring hyperrealism drawing style, the South African creative fuses an incredible attention to detail with a surrealist point of view—making his work both technically stunning as well as conceptually compelling. Dry’s photograph-like artwork showcases often-overlooked characteristics like the delicate folds of the skin and the glisten on a single water drop.

Read Article

August 26, 2015

Stunning Ink and Pencil Drawings of Human Faces Emerge from Maps

In an intriguing blend of cartography and illustration, UK artist Ed Fairburn uses maps as his canvases for stunning ink and pencil portraits. Faces are fragmented by contours that not only delineate borders, roads, and geographical features, but also bear a striking resemblance to veins and the texture of skin.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.