His works can give any kid a nightmare, but that’s Ben Avlis for you. His innocuous-looking illustrations turn hideous and frightening at the mere pull of the paper it’s drawn on. Although folding paper and drawing on it is not a new concept, he certainly breathes a new, though scary, life into it.
The transformation of sketched figures into something unexpected and bizarre is what catches the viewers by surprise. It’s always a mystery what Ben’s creation will transform into, once the folded paper is stretched out. This metamorphosis of his creations is what lends uniqueness to his form of art.
This American artist from Massachusetts, USA, loves to surprise and shock his viewers by making grotesque figures that immediately arrest attention. Take, for example, his sketch of an old man, who looks innocent enough. But, once the paper is stretched out, he turns into a monstrous being with sharp teeth, eyes on stalks, forked tongue, and various other repugnant appendages sticking out from the throat.
It’s certainly a credit to Ben’s power of imagination and visualization that he manages to bring in such variety in his creations. However, not all his creations are scary, some are humorous too, such as the rabbit, when stretched displays breaking green-colored wind, much like a rocket blasting off into outer space. Or the sunfish smoking a cigarette, when stretched, blows out the smoke, instead of air. Then there are Batman and Robin, who are shown to be shouting their lungs out!
Besides these ‘stretch-outs’, Ben also showcases his other incredible creations on the net. It’s quite evident from his works that he’s not only a great illustrator but also possesses a keen sense of color and shading. It comes as no surprise that he enjoys a viewership of over 125,000 on Instagram alone.
Ben Avlis
