Comments on: Drawing with ballpoint pens: Juan Francisco Casas

By: Starrlite921

Starrlite921 — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 21:24:33 +0000

Have you actually searched for his name and seen his other drawings?? Hardly “stupid facebook pictures”

By: Christain

Christain — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 18:06:59 +0000

Womanizing, sex, poor language and out right bad taste certainly distracts from a persons skills in my opinion. What do you think? It seems to me that many people think that if you’re good at drawing morality, ethics, principles, values and common decency doesn’t count. A person with good morals and average skills is more important to God than abilities and bad taste! Glamorizing corruption, sin and poor taste seems to be like a Hollywood level or concept. Follow the money as they say is what counts….

Classical values

By: mblank

mblank — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:25:45 +0000

I think the work is very strong.
The concept is definitely there. I don’t think that the aim of the artist was to show off how good he is with a ball point pen.
The ball point pen is just a technique. The artist is a photorealist. To me, it is impressive that he is using a ballpoint pen but I think it’s the subject matter and the feeling behind it is what’s striking. They are all long hours of work rendered from snapshots taken in a split of a second.
The faces/grimaces on the drawings (to me) depict anxiety, (some disguised under a fake smile or expression). Somehow his ballpoint pen brings out much deeper level of emotion and complexity. At least thats what i feel when I look at them. I think the fact that he chose a bluepoint pen and not black for ex. also gives the work a certain edge like you are at this club partying with black light on.
To me it’s not whether you’re an abstract artist or can copy nature exactly, it’s the message/feeling/emotion that you’re trying to convey.

By: mblank

mblank — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:25:00 +0000

By: speakingmute

speakingmute — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:03:13 +0000

The “presumably anyone who purchases the art work knows” is a big presumption – its essentially saying “let the buyer beware” and leaving it at that. I also doubt the artist himself has really thought about how long his work is going to last either, or else he might invest a whole two dollars for a G2 Pilot or Sakura Gelly Roller with archival ink versus the cheap bic pens he uses – which easily succumb to ambient humidity, fade, and otherwise deteriorate due to the solvents used to give the ink a long shelf life. Or get a 10$ ballpoint with a converter and use bottled fountain pen ink – which would be cheaper in the long run then using disposables. For a professional artist to use shoddy materials is frankly unethical. Furthermore, his work is a gimmick – there’s really nothing special about the texture or appearance he’s getting from a ballpoint pen that he couldn’t get with another medium more suited to the size. He’s drawing big with a pen – and selling the bragging rights. And then he traces – which means, no, he’s not talented as an artist, he just knows how to copy tonal graduation with a ballpoint – which plenty of other artists can do, and free handed at that. And yes, these things do matter, as to it undermines the efforts of those artists who invest time in drawing, understanding their medium, and want to provide their buyers with something that will give them there’s money’s worth so far as longevity.

By: speakingmute

speakingmute — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:03:00 +0000

By: silvergirl

silvergirl — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:58:20 +0000

“You might as well throw away your work when you’re done”? Ouch. Is the “point” of art to have a saleable piece, or maybe to create the piece itself? Should the artist only work for others’ goals, and not for his/her own? As someone who spends a lot of time doodling with ballpoint pens, i can definitely see the appeal here. There is a skill necessary, same as with a stick of charcoal or a paintbrush. You need to know when to subtly adjust the pressure you are applying, when to go with broad strokes vs. short strokes, and of course how to satisfactorily control said strokes. If Mr. Casas’s subject matter does not appeal to you, that is fine! But let it not be said that the man doesn’t have talent, because i’m pretty sure he is worlds beyond most of us in the ballpoint-pen-skills department. And tracing? Doesn’t exactly scream “originality”, but then: not all art is original.
It is much easier to say something negative than to spend the time finding something redeemable. Some of his interpretations are quite lovely and interesting (“Trineafterhours” is a good one; almost Bill Plympton-esque) to look at. As for the medium fading away rapidly: this is undoubtedly unfortunate. But not all art is permanent; perhaps it doesn’t matter to him, and presumably to anyone who purchases the works. So then, should it probably not matter to you.
Chalk this all up as a POV from someone who is not a practicing, or “professional” artist, someone who thinks that there is at least some value in most efforts…

By: silvergirl

silvergirl — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:58:00 +0000

By: dbclemons

dbclemons — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:26:26 +0000

Pencils or charcoal cost much less than pens. I get the perverse wink of the eye some artists make when they use crappy materials, but you might as well throw away your work when you’re done.

His subjects say more as photos than as drawings. He does demonstrate some nice control; however, covering a large flat area of dark with a fine point pen is my idea of self-inflicted punishment. Scan them and print them out with better inks and then no one need know his secret.

By: dbclemons

dbclemons — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Pencils or charcoal cost much less than pens. I get the perverse wink of the eye some artists make when they use crappy materials, but you might as well throw away your work when you’re done.