pessoa

The Image

Portrait of Fernando Pessoa built from dense flowing black lines on a warm cream ground. The hat and moustache are rendered in negative space, letting the paper do as much work as the ink.

The features aren't drawn so much as uncovered. Every stroke that isn't placed decides where the face appears. The reading shifts between pattern and portrait depending on how close you stand to it.

Part of her and the poets, a tribute series to Portuguese literary figures. Worked entirely in Photoshop, with hand-feel textures laid over the linework so a digital surface keeps the warmth of paper.