“The drawing measures roughly 4 feet x 3 feet and is made up of more than 100,000 letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.” The artist spent over a month rendering the subject on three rolls of typed paper, which were then pressed together on a mount board. Inside her clothing are carefully concealed type-written messages.
Cook was commissioned by the Creative Director and President of Ms MIN Womenswear, Ian Hylton, to create a portrait of his late mother. “I have recently completed a drawing which, unofficially is the largest ever typewriter drawing produced,” the artist explains.
He has captured windmills, classical buildings, and even ships with his clever assortment of characters.
Typerider art portable#
While most of his work is created indoors, he occasionally takes his portable typewriters outside to produce art en plein air. “There is something fascinating about using the 43 keys of a typewriter and using the various shapes of the punctuation, letters, and numbers to arrange and configure onto a piece of paper to create a desired shape or type of shading,” Cook explains. He alternates between machines to complete commissions for album covers, celebrity and pet portraits, as well as architectural illustrations. His portfolio of work spans more than 70 years and his legacy of work is primarily the inspiration for the drawings that I make.” Cook has collected almost 30 typewriters that range from mechanical portable machines from the 1950s to early electronic typewriters from the 90s. “His condition restricted his ability to make precise hand movements however, he found control in the use of a typewriter. “My work is inspired by Paul Smith, an American typewriter artist who suffered with cerebral palsy,” Cook tells My Modern Met. Cook has spent six years honing his skills on age-old machines, producing over 100 detailed drawings. He renders detailed landscapes and portraits by typing a careful assemblage of letters, numbers, and punctuation marks onto sheets of paper. Some people may consider typewriters a thing of the past, but UK-based artist James Cook has found a creative way to use this vintage technology.
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