Freddie Mercury

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(See it on Flickr)

I applied each grey circle individually on a black background. The whole portrait took me several days of work (please, also see the making).

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) was a British musician, best known as the lead vocalist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range.

© 2010 - Ben Heine

Different
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(See it on Flickr)

This is a long exposure photo (30 sec).
I played with 2 small torches.

(The above photo has been shot
with the Samsung NX10)

© 2010 - Ben Heine

Ben Heine Interviewed by

Paul Hellmich for ToonPool (*)

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(*) ToonPool is an online art platform (focusing on
illustration and cartoon, based in Berlin, Germany). The
following interview appeared in October 2010. © toonpool.com
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Ben, judging from your comments on toonpool.com I got the impression that you spend a comparably large amount of time on your art. Would you say that this is true?
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It’s true. I spend the time needed according to my skills and according to the characteristics of the artwork I’m making.

I simply think any task requires a lot of work and time to obtain quality. Each creative project is a challenge in itself but there are several levels of difficulty depending on the tools and mediums you use. For instance, taking (and editing) a picture with a camera will always be faster than making a full digital or traditional painting starting from scratch.

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So, would you say that you consciously choose artistic challenges that pose high levels of difficulty?
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Yes, at least I try.
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Some time ago someone posted a comment under one of your circlist portraits, claiming that you would just “take a photo and photoshop it”. Apparently, this person did not notice or appreciate the time it took you to do this digital painting. Is there a Photoshop filter to create the “circlist” effect?
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You know, unless they are constructive, I don’t pay too much attention to all the comments I receive. Especially if they come from negative people.

I used to make traditional paintings several years ago and I will definitely come back to it as soon as there is an opportunity. I can ensure you there is no “automatic filter” to make digital circlism as I’m doing it. It's very time consuming. Every circle is placed individually (See the making of some of my digital portraits).

The people saying that digital art is easy and nothing compared to traditional art have never tried to make a full digital painting starting from scratch. Traditional and digital painting are very similar. As far as I'm concerned, the creative process and the time spent is exactly the same. This is not an allegation. This is a fact. Try it.
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Your circlist portraits are very distinctive – a trademark style, one could say. Can you tell me at what point in your artistic career you began consciously developing such methods of creating art?
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This is really an unconscious evolution. I found a big potential in “Digital Circlism”, so I’ll keep making “circlist” portraits until I find something better. I just tried to make something different and unexpected. I think it’s always a good option to develop a technique and then focus on it for a little while to keep progressing.
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What does artistic progress mean to you?
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To me “progress” is to create things that have never been done before.
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You are being sponsored by a large camera company. How did this change the way you work?
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Indeed, I’ve recently started collaborating with Samsung Digital Imaging in the context of their “Imageloger” program. I’m honestly proud and happy to be part of this creative adventure.

They have sent me some great and useful devices. It didn’t change the way I’m working but it definitely helps me to evolve as a visual creator. To meet other artists, to try new and powerful photo gear and to be aware of the latest technologies in that field.
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I have stumbled upon pictures from your “Pencil Vs Camera” on several websites recently. How many of these have you done so far?
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I’ve posted 36 works so far. The series is still growing. I intend to make 100 images like this, unless I discover something more interesting and innovative…
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Isn’t it hard to come up with new ideas?
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I usually don’t have any troubles finding new ideas because these little pieces of paper are like windows towards imagination, white surfaces that allow me to express all kinds of crazy things still connected with the real world. The creative possibilities are endless.
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I noticed that you included Walt Disney characters in some of them.. Does his work have any special meaning to you?
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I love Disney characters. They are attractive and cute. They belong to our collective unconscious – Everybody knows them. Also, I think it’s nice to place these characters in a different environment than what we are used to.
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Thanks for your time!

Bad Day

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(See it on Flickr)

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(See it on Flickr)

Two long exposure photos (15 and 20 seconds)
I have been playing with 2 small torches :D

(The above photos have been shot with the Samsung NX10)
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© 2010 - Ben Heine

Planet Earth

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(see it on Flickr)
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This is a photo I took from a plane a few weeks ago (we were flying over Switzerland at 10 km above the ground!). I've repainted several parts of the picture. The mountains look rather small because we were very high, but they are huge, many of them exceed 4,000 m with the highest, Monte Rosa, reaching to 4,638 metres (15,217 ft), and there are also numerous glaciers including several of the largest in the Alps, such as the Aletsch Glacier, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001 with a length of about 24 km and covering more than 120 square kilometres!)

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(The above picture has been
shot with the Samsung NX10)

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Detail:
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© 2010 - Ben Heine

Eyes
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This is a long exposure photo (30 seconds).
I played with a small torch... (see it on Flickr)
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(The above photo has been
shot with the Samsung NX10)
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Detail:
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© 2010 - Ben Heine

Ben Heine Interviewed

by Pandemia Fanzine (*)

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Describe briefly who you are and what you've done so far.

Hello, I’m a Belgian visual artist. I invented “Pencil Vs Camera” and “Digital Circlism”. I’ve been painting and drawing since 1995 and I started taking photos in 2002.

What are your influences?

Mainly Surrealism and Pop Art.

Tranquility and silence, or movement and music while working?

Definitely music, I wouldn’t be the same person if I didn’t listen to all sorts of music. Music really feeds my soul. Silence makes me dizzy and sleepy…

Do you tend to have a clear idea of what you do in arts or your works are the result of millions of tests?

Each new creation is the result of a long personal evolution but I don’t make millions of tests. I only follow my daily inspirations. It works most of the time.

How did you come to the Pencil Vs Camera series?

By coincidence, one day, I saw something happening through a piece of paper. And I thought it would be great to develop this idea, to draw things on little pieces of paper and hold them in a specific environment.

Do you have a precise idea of what you want to achieve through your PvsC works?

I always have a clear idea of what I want to do before taking the picture and before making the drawing. I only made a few improvisations. I have lots of ideas in stock. It may sound weird, but I get stuck sometimes because of this.

How do you make the magic happen, are there any digital tricks in your PvsC works?

There are 4 methods to make “Pencil Vs Camera” creations. I’ve already explained them in a previous interview. All these traditional and digital techniques are quite basic and simple for me. It is the imagination and the messages you convey that matter more. It always is a real “hand made” drawing in all the PvsC works. My only goal is to make people dream and travel in other universes through creativity and visual innovation.

What tools do you usually use in your everyday work?

Pencils, paper, camera, computer, canvases, acrylic painting, oil painting, watercolor, ink, pastels... A bit of everything. It depends on what I’m working on. Now, I’m in a PvsC phase, but I'm sure it will be something totally different in a few months.

A spacecraft travelling at the speed of light, do you think the headlights will work?

I don’t know, nobody knows, no one has tried it yet...

Tell us only one word that describes your job.

Unexpected

Suppose that each person corresponds to an animal, what kind of animal are you, taking into account your work, your personality and style?

I’d definitely be a flying animal, I think I could be an owl.

Look at this picture and tell us what you see in it or what it means for you.

I see a face, 2 eyes, a nose, hair, mouth…

It’s a mysterious picture, a bit scary...

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(*) This interview also appeared in
Spanish on pandemiafanzine.com

Ben Heine Interviewed
by Michal Fanta (*)

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Michal Fanta: What inspired you to become a photographer?

Ben Heine: I've been creating all sorts of images since a long time. I was first mainly a drawer and painter, my conception of art in general changed when I realized how powerful and illustrative photography could be. Flickr has somehow contributed in my evolution as photographer.

Who or what are your influences?

Gilad Benari, a great contemporary photographer, was my first influence in this discipline. Many other artists on FLickr have also given me insight and stimulation.

In your Flickr profile you say that you are mostly self-taught. What do you do to educate yourself?

Yes, I'm mainly a self-taught artist, I briefly studied sculpture and painting in England but Journalism is what I've been trained to do (I have a license in journalism), but I never really worked as a journalist… irony and nonsense, I know, but my passion for visual arts was always stronger. At the very beginning, it has been a little hard for me to handle all the technical devices associated to any artistic productions. But I think if you stay focused on your ideas and goals, you'll always manage to be heard in the crowd.

What has the “Pencil vs Camera” project given to you (so far)? Has it changed your perception of the world in any way?

No, it hasn't really changed my perception of the world, it has changed the way I’m working on my new artistic projects. This series has helped me being published in many countries, which is something great.

Has the Flickr community helped your photography? (if so, how?)

I would say: Yes, definitely, because the friendly community on Flickr is really helpful and proactive. When I started posting pictures on FLickr several years ago, I was sort of motivated to do each time better because I received useful critiques and feedbacks from other Flickr users. I see the Flickr platform as a huge and creative brainstorming laboratory that can lead to the most amazing experimental artistic projects…

What is more important in taking pictures: the gear (camera, lenses,...) or the photographer? And why?

In my opinion, the vision, the skills and the imagination of the person behind the camera is more effective than any powerful gear. It’s certainly true that very expensive lenses and camera bodies are often a guarantee of quality but I think photos taken with the most simple devices can also be interesting if they are creative, unexpected and innovative…

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This interview also appeared in Czech on odcloneno.com

Ben Heine was interviewed by Michal Fanta in October 2010.
(*) Michal Fanta is a photographer from Czech Republic.

Pencil Vs Camera - 36

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(See it on Flickr)
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"If you can dream it, you can do it" is a famous quote by Walt Disney... I took the photo in Greece (at the Ancient Thera, an antique city located at the top of Messavouno mountain in the island of Santorini) The stairs are part ot the ruins found there. There was a spectacular view down to the sea. I also made the drawing showing an orca escaping from a "frame in a frame", a way out to another universe, which is hold by Mickey Mouse, the famous character created in 1928 by Walt Disney.

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See the whole "Pencil Vs Camera" collection!

(The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10)

Details of Mickey and the orca:

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© 2010 - Ben Heine

Pencil Vs Camera - 35

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(See it on Flickr)
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I've made here a slightly more detailed sketch for this surreal composition on paper. The guy on the right is shown upside down, the head inside the pavement... The tramway called "Gravity" in the upper right corner is overturned (see enlarged detail below). 12 balls seem to be in weightless conditions. The infinity symbol appears in the distant vanishing point. I took the photo near the Palace of Justice in the centre of Brussels, Belgium. The second title of this image is "This is Not Gravity".
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(The above photo has been shot with the Samsung NX10)

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Here is the smaller tramway, shown
here the right way, vertically flipped:
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See the whole "Pencil Vs Camera" collection!
© 2010 - Ben Heine