English artist Everett Jacob creates intricately crafted large-scale portraits using a simple ballpoint pen. What separates his ink drawings from others is his pattern of scribbles coupled with an intriguing gridded method. At times, his process involves loops, much like a person idly doodling, while other times he practices a technique similar to pointillism. In either case, the 23-year-old illustrator manages to meticulously concentrate and disperse his scribbles to accentuate a sense of photorealism.
Jacob says, “I am interested in the contrast between the minute, repetitive mark-making and the highly personal image that is created. The process is similar to mass production. I work from photographs, concentrating on one section of the face at a time. Over several shifts spent in this way, the work culminates in a finished product which is, paradoxically, an authentic and personal portrait.”
The artist reveals his time-consuming gridded method in a time lapsed video, which can be seen, below.
