Pencil vs Camera: Which One is Your Favorite?

When I hang round in the Flickr, I find this interesting project ‘Pencil vs Camera’, carried out by Ben Heine since 2010. It mixes drawing and photography, imagination and reality. It’s a new visual concept invented and initiated by Ben Heine with a combination of magic, illusion, poetry and surrealism.

Ben usually integrates an inventive handmade drawing in front of a realistic background. His hand is always clearly visible; it represents the close connection between the viewer, the artist and the artwork. The drawing is either in black and white on white paper or in color on black paper, while the photo is often very colorful. This amplifies the contrast between the two mediums.

The main themes approached in "Pencil Vs Camera" are: Love, Freedom, After Life, Friendship and Nature. Ben says: "I just make art for people. I want them to dream and forget their daily troubles. I used to write poems many years ago, I want to convey a poetic and philosophical meaning into my pictures. Each new creation should tell a story and generate an intense emotion, like a poem, like a melody".

Photos are quoted from digital photography school and search Ben Heine on Flickr.