ink Archives | Visi https://visi.co.za/tag/ink/ SA's most beautiful magazine Tue, 27 Oct 2020 12:28:07 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.8 https://visi.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-ICO-32x32-Black-1-1-32x32.png ink Archives | Visi https://visi.co.za/tag/ink/ 32 32 Paintings in Ochre: Girl On The Shore By Amy Keevy https://visi.co.za/painting-in-ochre-girl-on-the-shore-by-amy-keevy/ Wed, 28 Oct 2020 06:00:20 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=591963 Cape Town-based artist and brand curator Amy Keevy used the colours she experienced in nature, as well as the female form, to inspire her latest collection.

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]]> WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES Hannah Beth

After spending the initial lockdown on the shores of the West Coast, Cape Town-based artist and brand curator Amy Keevy used the colours she experienced in nature, as well as the female form, to inspire her latest collection, Paintings in Ochre: Girl on the Shore.

amy keevy

From blush and rust hues to a spectrum of ochre tones, Amy’s new body of work encapsulates the the flora and fauna of the beachfront, which she had time to explore and ponder as the world was forced into a quiet and contemplative space. Amy used this time to connect with both her surroundings and with the earth and its elements.

Recently, Amy learned of a condition she has called Aphantasia, which is characterised by not being able to voluntarily visualise mental images. “I’d never understood what someone meant when they say they can ‘see’ something in their minds,” she explains. “For me, it’s a blur of colours, tone and light. I’ve wondered if this has made me hold on to the memory of feelings because once I’ve seen something, it’s gone.” This translates into her latest pieces, informing her artistic process and final works.

Using ochre, one of the oldest known pigments for painting, Amy dilutes and condenses her materials to create soft washes or bold colours. She also draws on femininity and the representation of women over time, from the Venus of Willendorf through to modern-day photography and ideals.

See more of Amy’s work here, and follow her on Instagram.

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]]> Illustrations By Kyle Jardine https://visi.co.za/illustrations-by-kyle-jardine/ Thu, 08 Aug 2019 06:00:00 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=580172 Using pen, acrylics and ink, Cape Town-based artist Kyle Jardine creates pieces inspired by local architecture and his surroundings.

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]]> WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES @kylejardineart on Instagram

Using pen, acrylics and ink, Cape Town-based artist Kyle Jardine creates pieces inspired by local architecture and his surroundings.

“I have a love for history, design, intricate pattern work, shape and colour,” says Kyle. “It is therefore by no means an accident that Cape Town’s heritage buildings have drawn me in.”

Looking at his work, you can spot some familiar haunts from around the city, which he then translates into his own unique style. “From Cape Dutch buildings to the heritage sites of the City Centre, the intricacies and design elements that decorate and layer these historic buildings is something that has captivated me,” he says. “Historic buildings have a personality and character of their own, and it is either the shape, detail or colour that draws me to reinterpret a building in my own style.”

While art has always been a part of his life, Kyle really began sketching while on his travels. Now, he begins by photographing a site and using the image as a visual reference from which to work. He creates each piece in pen, with the “errors” bringing character to individual drawings. “From there, it’s the imperfection, interpretation and general impression of the work that takes over.”

“The joy, for me, is in the quirks,” says Kyle. “The patterns, the unexpected shapes, the squiggly lines. There is something that is awakened by giving these majestic buildings a comical style in the interpretation. I see it as the defining of each piece; giving it its own personality.”

See more of Kyle’s work on Instagram.

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]]> Iraville’s Cosy Illustrations https://visi.co.za/iravilles-cosy-illustrations/ Tue, 08 Jan 2019 06:00:19 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=572967 Munich-based artist Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde - known as Iraville - is an Instagram sensation, with her nostalgic and personality-filled illustrations depicting autumn scenes.

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]]> WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES @iraville on Instagram

Munich-based artist Ira Sluyterman van Langeweyde – known as Iraville – has become an an Instagram sensation, with her nostalgic and personality-filled illustrations depicting autumn scenes.

Her repertoire comprises quirky characters and whimsical landscapes, homing in on all things cosy and snug, evoking a sense of comfort.

She works mainly in inks, watercolours and pencils with a colour palette of oranges, browns, greens and reds.

Here is a selection of VISI’s favourites from her Instagram profile.

Follow her on Instagram to see more of her work.

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]]> Artists We Love: Pola Maneli https://visi.co.za/artists-we-love-pola-maneli/ Tue, 02 Oct 2018 06:00:37 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=568968 Local artist and illustrator Pola Maneli's complex work evokes a sense of fluency and precision. We chat to him about his inspirations and the processes behind his striking works of art.

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]]> INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr IMAGES @polamaneli on Instagram

Local artist and illustrator Pola Maneli’s complex work evokes a sense of fluency and precision. We chat to him about his inspirations and the processes behind his striking works of art.

How did you get into illustration?

Like most people, I was really into cartoons as a child, but I didn’t start drawing in that way until I started pre-primary school. I used to get a lift every day with one of the school’s cleaning staff, and the only other child there that early was the principal’s son, so we quickly got close and he would teach me how to draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters before anyone else arrived. After that I got a little bit into video games, but I would spend more time looking at the character illustrations in the booklets than playing the actual games, and at some point, I started coming up with and drawing characters of my own, and it’s just continued from there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoLP7LalMZW/?taken-by=polamaneli

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRNPfUlCc-/?taken-by=polamaneli

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVPlC8ZHqwz/?taken-by=polamaneli

What inspires you?

I used to spend a lot of time looking at things outside of illustration and be inspired by the level of craft people applied to their own passions. I would try and transfer it to my approach to my own work, but lately I’ve been retreating back into illustrations and comics for inspiration. The idea of finding parallels between your discipline and others can be great for emulating mood and tone, but these days I’m personally more interested in exploring the full possibilities of my own medium. In essence, trying to emphasise, for example, what it is that I as an illustrator can do that a photographer can’t – and it’s made my work a lot more challenging and rewarding as a result.

What does a typical day look like?

It’s pretty basic: I wake up, stare at the ceiling for a while, get washed and dressed. Have breakfast if I have the time. Get to the studio, spend some time on the internet, psyche myself up and then start working on whatever projects I have lined up.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BlI8rGPFmjC/?taken-by=polamaneli

Any local or international illustrators who you love or think we should check out?

Lisolomzi Pikoli is my favourite South African illustrator. His work is just really ethereal and evokes so much with so little. Sindiso Nyoni is still the gold standard of local illustration for me – he just continues to push himself, and surprise me. Seth Pimentel is really important to me. Looking at his work gives me permission to take chances in my own work. I find Musonda Kabwe‘s work to be really refined and smart. I’m an especially big fan of how unsettling and yet composed his comics are. Russell Abrahams aka YAY ABE‘s work strikes a really good balance between personal style and accessible, cheeky youthfulness that I really like. Thandiwe Tshabalala‘s work is also just super smart; she makes connections where you wouldn’t think there would be any. There’s another guy I just started following named Thapelo Keetile, who I think is really inventive. I am looking forward to seeing what he does next.

What mediums do you use?

Predominantly graphite and pen, but I’ve been slowly starting to work in colour again, so I’ll sometimes combine traditional mediums with Photoshop.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiMGg9FlE5C/?taken-by=polamaneli

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf8OcV9HGR-/?taken-by=polamaneli

What artistic process do you follow for creating your works?

It’s arduous, haha. I often start by spending a lot of time just thinking about an idea. If it’s just for myself, I can spend months or even years just mulling something over, and once I feel like I’ve locked down the concept, tone and themes then I’ll often do extensive research in the form of sketching and collecting references from everything from paintings and sculptures to books and films – anything that visually or thematically resonates with my concept. Then I’ll start drawing the actual piece itself. It’s pretty much the same for commissioned work, but just an exponentially compressed version of it.

What feeling are you trying to evoke through your pieces?

It varies from piece to piece, but I think there’s a sense of complexity to the work, but I would hope that there’s an element of grace to it as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BepIWSIHL1e/?taken-by=polamaneli

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd97MDYnZpw/?taken-by=polamaneli

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ0lTMHHSbZ/?taken-by=polamaneli

Any exciting plans for the future?

Hopefully some murals (if anyone would be willing to let me play around on their walls, let me know) and a lot of comics.

See more of Pola’s work on Instagram or visit his Tumblr here.

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]]> Paradise Drawing by Oscar Oiwa https://visi.co.za/paradise-drawing-by-oscar-oiwa/ Tue, 24 Apr 2018 06:00:57 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=560658 Japanese artist Oscar Oiwa recently completed a 360-degree black-and-white drawing inside an inflatable vinyl balloon in São Paulo.

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]]> WORDS Mary Garner VIDEO Oscar Oiwa on YouTube

Japanese artist Oscar Oiwa recently completed a 360-degree black-and-white drawing inside an inflatable vinyl balloon in São Paulo.

The work, titled Oscar Oiwa in Paradise – Drawing the Ephemeral, looks like a dark vortex, made up of twisting paths, dark forests and an ominously swirling sky.

It was created over the course of two weeks, together with five assistants. Between the six of them, they used 120 black marker pens to create this immense installation.

“I’ve always enjoyed drawing, which I consider the most basic way of expressing myself visually,” says Oscar on the Japan House website, the exhibition space where the artwork is on show until 3 June 2018. “A pencil and a blank sheet, there is no simpler media than that.”

Watch the clip below to see how this mesmerising piece came to be.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

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]]> WATCH: The Story Behind Indigo https://visi.co.za/watch-the-story-behind-indigo/ Fri, 06 Apr 2018 06:00:13 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=559824 This informative video tells us the story behind the real colour blue, namely the growing and cultivation of plant-based indigo ink, which takes about a year to make.

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]]> WORDS Mary Garner VIDEO Great Big Story via Vimeo

This informative video tells us the story behind the real colour blue, namely the growing and cultivation of plant-based indigo ink, which takes about a year to make.

indigo

The town of Tokushima in the south west of Japan has become known for its indigo production, with its roots cemented in Samurai culture. In fact, indigo started gaining popularity in the early 1600s.

“Under the samurai armour, there was indigo-dyed cloth,” says Osamu Nii, a sixth generation indigo plant grower, in the above clip. “The indigo-dyed cloth seemed to be good for wounds because it prevented bacteria and protected the wounds.”

Today, five farmers keep the tradition of growing indigo alive. Watch the above clip to find out exactly how this fascinating process works.

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]]> 12 Playful Cat Illustrations by Kamwei Fong https://visi.co.za/15-playful-cat-illustrations-by-kamwei-fong/ Wed, 28 Mar 2018 06:00:54 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=559437 Malaysian artist Kamwei Fong has gained over 56 000 followers on Instagram posting his intricate (and fun!) illustrations of fluffy black cats.

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]]> WORDS Lindi Brownell Meiring IMAGES via Kamwei Fong on Instagram

Malaysian artist Kamwei Fong, otherwise known as Bo & Friends, has gained over 56 000 followers on Instagram posting his intricate (and fun!) illustrations of fluffy black cats.

The detailed drawings, featuring the character he calls The Furry Thing, are created with black ink and channel Kamwei’s mantra to “Be happy. Be Childlike. Be Ridiculous.” He also draws monkeys, dogs and bunnies, as well as goldfish (which he calls Bo).

He has also launched a series of limited-edition slip-casted and hand-painted ceramic sculptures for Malaysian store ana-tomy, seen below.

You can buy prints of his work online at Etsy.

Here are 12 of our favourite illustrations by this talented artist.

View more of Kamwei’s work on Instagram and Facebook.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

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]]> Toyin Ojih Odutola https://visi.co.za/toyin-ojih-odutola/ Tue, 16 Jan 2018 06:00:39 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=555720 Nigerian-born artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, who grew up in Alabama in the USA, creates emotive ink and pen drawings that come alive with the reality of living the black experience.

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]]> WORDS Mary Garner

Nigerian-born artist Toyin Ojih Odutola, who grew up in Alabama in the USA, creates emotive ink and pen drawings that come alive with the reality of living the black experience.

Toyin, who got her MFA from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, captures movement beautifully in her work, with a textured, layered style.

When describing her choice of materials in an interview with the New York Times, she says, “I used pen and ink, in part because I couldn’t afford my art supplies. The pen is a writing tool first. In West Africa, where the narrative tradition is oral, the visual bridges the written and the spoken. Yes, I was drawing. But it was, to me, a form of letter-writing too.”

She sees her art as letters written to people who look like her so that they can see themselves in her image while reflecting on the depths of brown skin. “The epidermis packs so much. Why would you limit it to the flattest blackness possible?”

(h/t) nytimes.com

As a kid, I always felt that art was beyond me. Even though I loved to draw more than anything–to the point where it affected my breathing–it always felt like a dream that I could only entertain as a hobby. Who was I to aspire to anything more than what was expected of me? This included my deepest fears and doubts. But every once in awhile, when the check came in from my temp job, I’d rush to the bookstore to get the latest periodicals: @artforum, @artnewsmag and @juxtapozmag were the constant. I’d pour over those pages–eyes gobbling up everything–just to live vicariously through those stories, the artists, the art…. All the while, NEVER conceiving the possibility that I might be included in that world, to hold my own amongst so many I admired–to see my family’s names on those pages one day. 2017 has been one hell of a year, and with all the insanity that is happening, I am so grateful to be doing what I do. This moment is for 14 year old Toyin, who never thought she was good enough; who always cried because she was terrified to risk anything with the possibility of failure; who said “no” to herself so many times; who thought she was a waste of space…. That girl is still in me, I sometimes catch a memory from her and we both see through the same eyes. I wish I could go back and hug her, and show her the woman she has become. But more than anything, I want to give her this issue, so she can see her name and pour over the pages, knowing–SEEING–that she did in fact dare to dream and that dream is in print, in these very pages. Completely floored and honored to be the cover feature of @juxtapozmag’s November 2017 issue. It’s been a journey, and I’m not done. ??✨? — #ToyinOjihOdutola

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#PartsOfADrawing #WorksOfProgress #Detail #ToyinOjihOdutola

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]]> Artists We Love: Thabiso Lindani Mbambo https://visi.co.za/artists-we-love-thabiso-lindani-mbambo/ Tue, 18 Apr 2017 06:00:38 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=542194 Young Durban-based artist and graphic designer Thabiso Lindani Mbambo is fusing African inspirations with pop culture in colourful portraits that ooze edginess.

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]]> INTERVIEWED BY Cheri Morris IMAGES ink361.com

Young Durban-based artist and graphic designer Thabiso Lindani Mbambo is fusing African inspirations with pop culture in colourful portraits that ooze edginess.

Twenty-four-year-old Thabiso fell in love with art at a tender age through his fascination with his father’s paintings of public figures. As an introvert and observant individual, he went on to study Visual Art at school and later Graphic Design at the Durban University of Technology. We caught up with him to see what his work is all about.

We see your style as something along the lines of African-inspired Pop Art. How would you describe your style?

Yes, it’s exactly as you put it: African Pop Art. It is a fusion of African culture with Western popular culture; an afro-cool aesthetic, so to say. My style developed through my primary interest in traditional and cultural attire and my simultaneous fascination with popular culture, which I found lacked the cultural influences that I liked. I then decided to create a series of portraits where I combined the rich colourful aesthetic of South African attire with the cool edginess of popular culture.

What mediums do you use to create your pieces?

I love to alternate between both traditional and digital mediums. Traditionally speaking, I work with watercolours and Quink ink washes. The digital portraits are a combination of different physiognomic references that are fused to create a new person. I sketch these using pencil and fine-liner and then scan and work on them through Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Who or what inspires you?

I’m inspired by South African culture, beadwork and traditional attire. I am also inspired by many contemporary artists such as Loyiso Mkize with his hyper-realistic paintings, Nelson Makamo’s portraits and Sarah Golish. I also draw inspiration from photographers like Ben Bond and Osborne Macharia. Instagram and Pinterest are also great sources of inspiration for me.

Tell us about your most memorable moment as an artist.

My most memorable moment was as a student, when I was selected to exhibit at the Loeries Emerging Creatives exhibition. I got to liaise with other students and expose my work to established creatives in South Africa.

What are you currently working on?

Currently I work as a junior designer at a small design agency by day and by night I focus on illustrating. I’m working on a few freelance illustrations creating cover art for a comic book soundtrack and trying to finish the Portrait Series I started.

In a sea of South African contemporary artists, what do you feel that you bring to the table that no one else does?

A different perspective; my perspective on South African culture. No two perspectives are alike, maybe similar, but not identical. I bring the afro-cool edge!

If you could collaborate with any South African artist, who would it be?

Loyiso Mkize.

What’s next for you?

I would love to exhibit a full body of work! I want to explore and delve deeper into my subject matter and see how I can improve upon what I have. And of course, meeting work deadlines. I still have a job to keep.

Check out more of Thabiso’s work on INK361.

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]]> Illustrators We Love: Meni Chatzipanagiotou https://visi.co.za/illustrators-we-love-meni-chatzipanagiotou/ Thu, 16 Mar 2017 06:00:56 +0000 https://visi.co.za/?p=540245 Greek graphic designer and illustrator Meni Chatzipanagiotou creates meticulously beautiful, nature-inspired ink drawings.

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]]> WORDS Cheri Morris IMAGES menisart.com

Greek graphic designer and illustrator Meni Chatzipanagiotou creates meticulously beautiful, nature-inspired ink drawings.

Meni works in both traditional and digital media using fine black pens and experimental mediums/techniques. Her work is inspired by nature and the myriad of botanicals and animals that inhabit it. Her subject matter ranges from fantastical mountain backdrops and whimsical forest scenes to scenic typography and animal/human characters.

We just love the tinge of fantasy to her style and the way she combines animals and their surrounds into one mystical, detailed piece of art.

View this post on Instagram

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” —Rachel Carson, Silent Spring Three of these are available in the shop menisart.etsy.com , I ship worldwide/International. . . . . #mountains #tree #scenery #landscape #river #tattoo #night #wood #nature #space #day #handmade #woodart #iblackwork #moon #graphicgang #graphicdesign #graphicroozane #Simplycooldesign #thedesigntip #designspiration #supportart #illustrate #artsanity #illustration #drawing #sketch #blackwork #blackandwhite #etsy

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Browse our gallery above to view more of Meni’s works. Visit her shop on Etsy or follow her on Instagram to keep up to date with her latest creations.

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