Dennis Carlisle Illustration

I started to use Ball-Point pens to draw with when I was 12 years old. In college, I developed the Ball-Point pen as a tool of art. I have found that the pen has artistic possibilities that have never been explored. My current style did not come easily. In college, I was being trained as an Illustrator. I assumed that I should, in my utilization of the Ball-Point pen, try for as much realism as possible. After college, I found that realism and reliance on photo references may have helped my artistic skill, but hindered my creativity. My art in college was technically sound but did not interest me. As I continued to develop my style further on my own, I eventually mastered the use of the Ball-Point pen to the point that I was able to apply my technical skill to the subject matter I always loved to draw. This is what made me arrive at a new style. After 3 years, I found that I would be able to combine realism with some of the more stylized images I developed after college. My current art stands for ideas that are floating around in my head, presented in a way that most art is not presented, through the use of a medium that very few use in an artistic sense.

History of My Work