The Beautiful Biro Pen Portraits from Mark Powell


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Artistic expression does not always need state-of-the-art equipment and the latest technology. In fact, true creative genius can sometimes be best witnessed in things that we otherwise discard as trash.

Meet Mark Powell, a London-based artist best known for his work with repurposed ephemera — old, tattered and stamped envelopes that serve as his canvas and a Bic Biro pen. Using just ink and old paper, Powell can create striking, captivating, and life-like drawings.

A neo-expressionist by ideology, Mark Powell generally sketches portraits of elderly faces (and yes, he uses the crumbled form of the old envelope paper as wrinkles on the elderly faces). Using a simple run-of-the-mill Bic Biro pen, Powell’s artwork shows traditional portraits on a non-traditional canvas.

To put it in the artist’s own words, “The idea behind my work is the mystery of each individual, we all try to portray instead of express something much of the time but the face can always hint at something else. Its one of the reasons I use an envelope.”

We now leave you with some of the representative drawings of Mark Powell.

bic biro drawing on a Salvation Army 1932 document
Biro drawing on a Salvation Army 1932 document.

bic biro drawing on a vintage Icelandic program
Biro drawing on a vintage Icelandic program.

bic biro Drawing on a 1950s music sheet
Drawing on a 1950s music sheet.

bic biro Drawing on a 1943 war ration book
Drawing on a 1943 war ration book.

bic biro Drawing on an antique map of London
Drawing on an antique map of London.

bic biro Biro drawing on a 1912 newspaper
Biro drawing on a 1912 newspaper.

bic biro Drawing on a 1914 bank overdraft letter
Drawing on a 1914 bank overdraft letter.

bic biro Drawing on a 1950s music sheet
Drawing on a 1950s music sheet.

bic biro Drawing on a 1878 newspaper
Drawing on a 1878 newspaper.

bic biroDrawing on a 1927 document
Drawing on a 1927 document.

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