Art Illustration

#drawing #Pep Carrio #sketchbooks

Thousands of Daily Diary Drawings by Pep Carrió Unfurl an Enigmatic World

April 9, 2024

Kate Mothes

a sketchbook spread with a painting across both pages of an abstract red figure with white branches growing out of holes in their body

All images © Pep Carrió, shared with permission

Strange and wondrous events take place with every turn of the page in Pep Carrió’s continuing daily diary series (previously). In 2007, the artist challenged himself to draw every day, and an easy way to keep himself both motivated and accountable was to fill up an entire Moleskine datebook. With whatever materials were at hand, he began a project that kept his creative wheels turning while challenging the possibilities of a simple two-page spread.

Carrió’s illustrations range from fantastical scenes of adventure, like a whale dipping below a diminutive boat full of sightseers, to metaphysical scenes of anonymous figures who wander through enigmatic landscapes, floating calmly or rooting in place like trees. Flipping through the sketchbooks, the chronology unfolds sequentially, but the narrative remains a beguiling mystery.

Find more on Carrió’s website, and follow regular updates on Instagram.

 

a sketchbooks spread with a drawing across both pages of a whale under the sea and a boat full of people above ita sketchbook spread with a drawing of a small house with big roots on the left and an abstract figure on the right with a building floorplan for a head and body, reaching out to a potted flower a sketchbook spread with a rendering of a figure on the left in silhouette with a bright white spine and on the right, a figure lies on the ground and colorful bubbles rise from their mouth a sketchbook spread with a drawing across both pages of a cartoonish alligator with yellow and pink line patterns  a sketchbook spread with a drawing across both pages of a genderless, anonymous figure floating on the water's surface, surrounded by small fish a sketchbook spread with a drawing across both pages of a sideways landscape, where a silhouetted figure stands on orange ground, with myriad roots sprouting from their feet, and a single cloud sits above in a gray sky a sketchbooks spread with a drawing on both pages of a blue head-shaped hot hair balloon in a starry sky

#drawing #Pep Carrio #sketchbooks

 

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. You'll connect with a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about contemporary art, read articles and newsletters ad-free, sustain our interview series, get discounts and early access to our limited-edition print releases, and much more. Join now!

 

 

Also on Colossal

Related posts on Colossal about drawing Pep Carrio sketchbooks