Oscar Ukonu | |
---|---|
Born | 1993 |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Education | The Federal Polytechnic, Owerri |
Known for | Hyperrealistic Portraits |
Movement | Hyperrealism |
Website | https://www.oscarukonu.com |
Oscar Ukonu (born 1993 [1] ) is a Nigerian ballpoint pen artist based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is known for his hyperrealist portraits. [2]
Ukonu was born in 1993. He began drawing, as a hobby, when he was nine. He studied architecture at Federal Polytechnic in Nekede, Nigeria. [3] [4]
While studying architecture, he drew a lot of pencil-based drawings followed by experimenting with rapidograph ink pens to develop his own art style. In 2014, after spending a considerable time looking at different mediums and drawing tools, he chose the ballpoint pen to produce his photorealistic works. His work is described as hyperrealism and Afrorealism. He uses his hyperreal illustrations as a medium for social critique, as well as to convey a social message about the African descent. [5] [2] According to himself, he "constantly explores Black identity and pride in an increasingly globalized world, as well as ideas surrounding Afrorealism." [1]
An artwork can take him up six weeks, during which he will use about ten pens due to wear and tear on the nib. For such a work, he will use about 20 photos he's taken of the subject for reference. He employs three basic techniques in his artworks: hatching, crosshatching, and scribbling. [5] [6]
In 2020, his submission Blue Boy was placed 6th in Société Bic's BIC Art Master competition. [4] [6]
A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro, ball pen, or dot pen, is a pen that dispenses ink over a metal ball at its point, i.e., over a "ball point". The metals commonly used are steel, brass, or tungsten carbide. The design was conceived and developed as a cleaner and more reliable alternative to dip pens and fountain pens, and it is now the world's most-used writing instrument; millions are manufactured and sold daily. It has influenced art and graphic design and spawned an artwork genre.
Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can be used broadly to describe artworks in many different media, it is also used to refer specifically to a group of paintings and painters of the American art movement that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Hatching is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing closely spaced parallel lines. When lines are placed at an angle to one another, it is called cross-hatching. Hatching is also sometimes used to encode colours in monochromatic representations of colour images, particularly in heraldry.
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Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. Hyperrealism is considered an advancement of photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures. The term is primarily applied to an independent art movement and art style in the United States and Europe that has developed since the early 1970s. Carole Feuerman is the forerunner in the hyperrealism movement along with Duane Hanson and John De Andrea.
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The following outline is provided as an overview of and typical guide to drawing and drawings:
Since their invention and subsequent proliferation in the mid-20th century, ballpoint pens have proven to be a versatile art medium for professional artists as well as amateur doodlers. Ballpoint pen artwork created over the years have been favorably compared to art created using traditional art mediums. Low cost, availability, and portability are cited by practitioners as qualities which make this common writing tool a convenient, alternative art supply.
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, comics, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines, such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts, also involve aspects of the visual arts as well as arts of other types. Also included within the visual arts are the applied arts, such as industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, interior design, and decorative art.
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