Upon first examination, the work of Belgian artist Kris Trappeniers appears to be ballpoint drawing.
If you had a chance to look at his Flickrstream, however, you would find some photos of his work in mid-process. He does use ballpoint pen, but he also uses x-acto knives to meticulously cut out his contour drawings and use them as stencils on various surfaces.
The result is a kind of topographic map of the human face. There is an illusion of surface and contour, although the pieces are very much two-dimensional. It is an excellent lesson in contour, where it’s very easy for us to see how lines and gestures can give the appearance of depth and texture.
