KOCHI: There are many ways to make art — with the strokes of a paintbrush, slamming your fingers against the canvas or using charcoal or paint. But, can a cluster of tiny dots form a recognisable image? Ask Malappuram native Ameer, and he will say yes! He creates realistic black and white images by putting together similar-sized dots on a blank page using a black ink fine tip pen. The 24-year-old has been practising stippling/dot artwork for the last four years.
A series of minimal yet detailed black and white images adorn Ameer’s Instagram page @_arts_plan_. “More than adding colours, I find the final output to be more impressive when it is all done in black ink,” says Ameer. Before foraying into stippling full-time, the artist had also ventured into stencil, charcoal, pencil, and painting mediums.
Stippling can form a realistic image only when the artist can balance the illusion of dark and light shadows properly. “After forming an outline, one should know how to shade. To achieve dark shade in a certain place, more dots must be concentrated there, leaving the rest of the space blank. This gradient is the essence of the artwork,” says Ameer.
He aligns the dots on a hot press paper to create human figurines, body parts or Greek sculptures. “I focus more on Greek gods figurines for stippling now, as they look alive in reality,” he adds. “Stippling might seem easy on the outside. But to finish an artwork takes around 10 to 11 hours. As compared to other mediums you will need a great amount of patience. After pursuing stippling for the last four years, I can say with confidence that my patience level has improved a lot,” quips Ameer.
Though the subjects he portrays is referred from other sources, he makes them stand out by adding his creative flair. Ink flow is another element he uses. “It is one of my unique styles. Usually, the work I do doesn’t come with any perspective, but people assume that it is centred on a theme. Now, I am working on 20 images, and a few of them are theme-based. I am hoping to exhibit them, once the Covid situation improves,” says Ameer.
