Sketches in a pen or pencil are a common sight. But here’s an artist who offers his unique ‘line artwork’ using pen, which creates an optical illusion, where the subject appears to jump out of paper. This artist is Nester Formentera, who was born in the Philippines and later migrated to Ireland with his family and is now settled in Dublin, Ireland.
Migrating to Ireland came as a boon for Formentera since it gave him an opportunity to learn and develop his artistic skills through an illustration course in Dublin. It not only helped develop his artistic skills but also ignited his passion for drawing. He started with photo-realistic portraits with color pencils and graphite. By and by, he developed his unique representational technique that produces 3D effects simply by drawing lines on paper.
This self-taught artist gets his inspiration from his surroundings and from his personal emotions. Naked sculptures from legendary artists are what inspires him the most, the reason why he imitates them in his art. So incredible is his line artwork that this pen artist, illustrator, and realism artist are globally recognized. What’s surprising is he accomplishes his drawings with simple BIC pens, Pencil and Color Pencil, and fine liners.
Formentera’s current focus is on minimalism, where he uses only black colors on a white background in his drawings. This contrast highlights the subject and provides it with its own distinctiveness. His works are lauded around the globe. Little wonder they feature in many exhibitions both in the country and abroad and are also sold internationally. His list of clients includes Sony Music, Tou, BSR by Samii Ryan, Desenio, Steve Aoki, and Dim Mak.
Formentera’s works can be purchased from his website and are available in paper prints in sizes A1, A2, A3, and A4. He also caters to those wanting a bigger size. In addition, he also creates and sells canvas prints in sizes 12 inches by 16 inches and 20 inches by 24 inches. The paper and canvas prints are delivered rolled up in strong postal tubes.
Formentera has a fan following of over 188,000 on Instagram alone.
Nester Formentera