Have you ever come across artwork that made you stop in your tracks? We’re looking at art all the time, doing deep dives on artists, and always looking out for the newest trends or practices in the art world. Even with all of that, when we stumbled across Iman Rostami’s artwork, we internally stopped for a moment. Rostami is a ballpoint pen artist whose work we came across on Instagram, and we were reminded of the idea that it really can be the simplest things that make us the happiest. Void of anything seemingly extra, Rostami creates monochrome portraits with a pen that exudes life and character. We’ll admit that the purple portraits are our favorites by far, but his entire body of work is incredible and full of gems.
It’s important to note that when we say it’s the simple things, we don’t mean the portraits themselves are simple. They are intricate and detailed to an insane degree, something we’re always impressed to see, especially with a medium like a pen. Rostami’s work varies in subject matter, ranging from Roman bust sculptures to faces from history all the way to monsters and creatures. It doesn’t matter what it is he’s illustrating though, the insane talent shines through as soon as the pen hits the page. On his Instagram, you’re able to view his finished pieces as well as before and after videos and time lapses of his illustrations. He also has a YouTube channel with fun stuff like sketchbook tours and videos showing his process. If you’re a fan of analog drawing, his page is an incredible resource and inspiration, we encourage you to check it out!
