Typerwriter Artist

 AC Gurumurthy is being discussed over social media platforms ....

But, it’s not every one’s cup of tea. Meet AC Gurumurthy from Bangalore, a man who churns out amazing, unbelievable portraits using his old manual typewriter.

This Indian artist has been using typewriters to create portraits for over 50 years.

Indian artist A C Gurumurthy has been using a typewriter to create impressive portraits for more than five decades. Gurumurthy uses his typewriter to carefully create pictures of famous politicians and figures such as Mahatma Gandhi, Barack Obama, Indira Gandhi. As an avid art lover he shaped his monotonous profession into a creative one carving out the pictures of his favourite politicians and places he loves. Gurumurthy, an ex-bank employee said: "I can type as fast as 95 words per minute, but when it comes to art, it is something else. "Throughout my service in the bank, I have had exhibitions of my art in the city and different places in Maharashtra. I opted for voluntary retirement in 2001 to take it up full time. “I soon want to make my first colour portrait of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi." The artist sketches a faint outline of the portrait before feeding the paper into the typewriter. Light and dark shades are created by applying different amounts of pressure onto a key. 

AC Gurumurthy. 

Creativity has no bounds. The old and used things at home are left as antique show piece or as things of no use. But it is different with creative minds as creativity knows no limits. With electronic keyboards in use, most of the people in this generation have forgotten the typewriters, the initial practice machine for our typing skills. But, point is not this, the point is hardly any one would have thought that you can create stunning portraits using manual typewriter. But, it’s not every one’s cup of tea. Meet AC Gurumurthy from Bangalore. He is a man who churns out amazing, unbelievable portraits using his old typewriter.

Recently Ajita – Ayurveda, Yoga and Wellness doctor shared his portrait making talent video on his twitter handle. After that, Gurumurthy is being discussed over social media platforms as his popularity grew a little. In order to make him popular, we write this to you to know and share this great Indian talent, with the world.

AC GURUMURTHY, AN ARTIST FROM BANGALORE, CREATES STUNNING PORTRAITS JUST USING HIS OLD MANUAL TYPEWRITER. 

— Dr. Ajayita (@DoctorAjayita) October 2, 2020

Bharath Mata Portrait.

To mark the 74th year of Independence, Gurumurthy from Bengaluru has created an image of Bharat Mata using only a white sheet and a manual typewriter.

AC Gurumurthy makes a variety of portraits and have a goal to register his name in the Guinness Book Of World Records. Through this unique art he has sailed over 50 years. Interestingly, in this year of pandemic, to boost the morale of the country, he made a portrait of Bharath mata in which through the trident, he showed that Bharath Mata is ending the Corona Virus.

Earlier, he has also produced portraits in the honor of wing commander Abhinandan who returned to India from Pakistan. Several portraits of many great politicians and gods including Lord Ram adds feather to his cap.

(wing commander Abhinandan portrait) 

Portrait Sketch in the honor of Wing commander Abhinandan who returned to India From Pakistan safe.

This Young Artist Draws With A Typewriter, And Here Are 30 Of His Impressively Detailed Images .

Interview With Artist.

Some may say that typewriters are a thing of the past, but one young artist proves that it’s quite the opposite. 23-year-old architecture student James Cook creates wonderful artworks using manual typewriters, and more and more people are becoming interested in them. His works are very accurate and precise, featuring people, architecture, still life, and pets. Scroll down for this interview with the artist!

Cook became interested in typewriters 6 years ago when he read a news story about a man who suffered from cerebral palsy. Unable to hold a pencil or paintbrush, he chose to draw with a typewriter. “It started back in 2014 and during my college studies, I came across the news story of a man called Paul Smith who unfortunately suffered from severe cerebral palsy. Due to his condition, he was unable to hold a pencil or paintbrush, but honed his skills using the mechanical precision of a typewriter to produce a portfolio of incredible work spanning at least 60 years. Inspired by his story, I decided to make his work partly the premise for my art studies at college,” says Cook.

The British artist bought his first typewriter from an elderly couple who were selling their antiques. Even though a lot of people have had them in the past, typewriters are difficult to find now because many have forgotten about them. However, Cook has managed to grow his collection to 30 different typewriters that he uses to produce his paintings. “My first purchase, the '56 Oliver Courier, will always be my favourite typewriter. It’s the most versatile of the machines that I have and it sounds strange to say this, but I know it so well. It’s been in my collection of 30 typewriters for six years now and more than half of my drawings I have done using it.”

This kind of art can be very time-consuming and might feel like learning a new language. However, Cook says that he loves spending time to make his drawings proportionally correct and thinking of tiny details. “My earliest works were a little unsteady and rough. I started with a typewriter drawing of the Woolworth Building in New York. It was like learning a whole new language (literally) made up of punctuation marks, letters, and numbers. It was how I assembled these marks on the page that would reveal the image once you stepped back from the drawing.”

When asked how long it takes for him to make one drawing, Cook says that it depends on various factors. The most complex piece can take up to 30 hours to make. “Each drawing varies in size, scale and complexity. However, I am restricted to using standard A4 paper, mostly as this was the most common size of paper a typewriter would take. Each drawing can take between 9-30 hours. I have recently completed a commission of a lady which is my largest drawing to date. It measures in at roughly 4 feet by 3 feet and, unofficially, is probably the largest typewriter drawing ever done. It is made of three rolls of paper and contains more than 100,000 letters, numbers, and punctuation marks overlaid and configured to create the portrait.”

The artist says that he always dreamed of becoming an architect. Therefore, he always prefers to draw buildings instead of portraits with his typewriter. “Primarily, I’ve always been fascinated in buildings and my goal since the age of 5 is to become an architect. Where I live in UK, there are lots of historic buildings such as water towers, lighthouses, castles and I think from a very early age, walking around these places struck a chord with me. I used to have old photo books of London and cities of the world and when I was a small child, I would try to draw copies of them. I think I prefer drawing buildings using the typewriter as opposed to portraits. I think there is more interest in the architectural work from people that have seen my typewriter drawings.” Cook currently has an exhibition of his work in the UK, where you can check out his best works! You can find out more about it on his website and Instagram.

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