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Illustration

Pen-and-Ink Artist Creates Hyperrealistic Drawings of Celebrities

Paul Kobriger revived his love for illustration after decades of not drawing.
All images courtesy the artist

Approximating about 130 hours to complete each piece, an illustrator strives to revive his long-dormant passion for hand-drawing by adopting a ballpoint pen. The 40-year-old artist Paul Kobriger works during the day but then uses his free time to compose hyperrealistic ballpoint drawings. The particular form of artwork is a notoriously intricate process, taking artistic skill and intense focus.

For the last year and half, the artist has worked to develop a collection of drawings that showcase his concentrated efforts to perfect technique and realism style. After finishing high school, the artist threw himself into the slog of the workforce; his last drawing was completed at age 22. Kobirger tells Creators, "I hadn't drawn a single piece since 1994, until one day last year when I decided to pick up a ballpoint pen and see if I could still make something happen."

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"I posted a few practice drawings [a few months]," the artist explains, "and people wanted to buy them so I did a few more, and it hasn't stopped." Currently, the illustrator's portfolio of work concentrates on pro skateboarders like Lance Mountain, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzales, and Dylan Rieder, subjects nevertheless influenced by his full-time position as a marketing director at TransWorld Skateboarding Magazine. His interest in music icons like David Bowie and Nick Cave are also appealing subjects in dense ink portraits.

See a few below:

Nick Cave

Lance Mountain

David Bowie

Ray Medres

Mark Gonzales

Kurt Cobain

Harold Hunter

To see more artwork from Paul Kobriger, visit his Instagram and own some of your own of his artwork by visiting his web store, here.

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