To celebrate the release of our latest publication “Pen to Paper”, Pictoplasma proudly presents a series of exhibitions in London, Paris and Berlin. The recent revival of analogue skills has injected immeasurable visual wealth into the world of illustration, fine art and especially character design. Artists reject the computer and channel their creativity through spontaneous freehand drawing to create untamed, edgy and exceptional beings. All that seems left of our beloved cartoon faces, familiar consumer mascots and pop icon characters is a distorted, far away echo.

The book presents the most adventurous images of a select group of international artists whose work finds its genesis in traditional analogue techniques. The recent revival of analogue skills has injected immeasurable visual wealth into the world of illustration, fine art and especially character design. Artists reject the computer and channel their creativity through spontaneous freehand drawing. The spontaneity of this kind of creativity allows for a more free-flowing form of expression, leading to edgy and untamed beings, erupting with energy – the perfect antidote to the plethora of digital imagery abundant today.

Pen to Paper showcases the key players of what is being labelled “DIY art” “fractured figuration” or “new psychedelic folk”, with works by Shoboshobo (FR), Allyson Mellberg Taylor (US), Seth Scriver (CA), Andrew James Jones (UK), John Casey (US), Luke Ramsey (CA), Eric Shaw (US), Thomas Bernard (FR), Lane Hagood (US), Kerozen (FR), Ian Stevenson (UK), Arnaud Loumeau (FR), Fia Cielen (BE), Frédéric Fleury (FR), Matt Lock (US), Ola Vasiljeva (NL), and Yu Matsuoka (JP/FR).

Curated by Pictoplasma
25th March - 23rd April, Concrete Hermit, London, UK
8th April - 24th April, ArtSPACE Berlin, Germany
1st May- 26th May, Galerie LJ, Paris, France,