Artist Creates a Beautiful Illustration of a Blue Octopus With Donated & Discarded Ballpoint Pens

Giant Octopus

Toronto-based artist Ray Cincin has created a giant, beautifully illustrated bright blue Octopus from donated ballpoint pens that would have been otherwise discarded. The illustration, per Cincin, is his own “interpretation of an Ernst Von Haeckel octopus lithograph” and took him quite a bit of time to complete.

Same general outline of the original, my version of details and scale. This drawing was in progress for over a year. A week here, a few days there, up on the wall, then flat on a table. I’d put it away for a few weeks, a month, and then get back to it again. It was a demon I was psyched to finish and at times tormented to work on. It gave me a good beating in the battle of persistence.

Cicin Drawing

Octo Tools

Eye Detail

Tentacle Detail

Tentacle

images via Ray Cincin

via Colossal

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.