Black and white illustrations are losing steam in the modern world, but that’s not stopping Sivan Karim from embracing their beauty. He found a way to say a lot through his inked illustrations, and he’s using clear lines and simple colors to get his message across.
Karim is a Berlin-based illustrator, who attracted over 100,000 followers to his Instagram page with his black and white drawings. He got his Bachelor of Arts degree in design/illustration in 2016 but struggled to find his own artistic style before giving ink a shot.
“When I tried ink for the very first time, I was really surprised how beautiful the pigmentation was. I looked up several artists who worked with ink and was blown away by the black and white composition and simplicity,” he told Baram House.
Karim’s illustrations may look quite simple, but the deeper meaning always hides between the lines, and he leaves it up to the audience to come to their own conclusions.
Most of Karim’s illustrations are inspired by women’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and he’s hoping they’ll feel empowered and understood when looking at his art. Guided by the Japanese proverb “hair is the heart of a woman”, he often puts hair front and center in his illustrations, showing it transform into rivers, oceans, and the cosmos itself.
