artist alessandro paglia has forever been fascinated by the elegant simplicity of black and white. ‘objects attract me, in particular their aesthetics, textures, materials and volumes,’ the milan-based creative says. ‘I feel inspired by the stories they tell, their personalities, the ingenuity of their creators, their hidden world. at some point I simply felt that I had to combine the passion for the objects and the passion for drawing.’ paglia’s pen drawings are categorized by rich, vivid tones and vibrant textures. previously, paglia meticulously illustrated some of the most-recognized design objects throughout history — now, the artist is scaling up his subjects through his drawings of classic cars.

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
details of the ‘paul newman’ mercedes-benz 300 SL gullwing coupé 1955

 

 

paglia utilizes intense inky blacks to amplify the interplay between the natural light and subjects like the mercedes-benz 300 SL gullwing coupé, and the 1970 lamborghini miura. the use of rough paper further accentuates this effect, with each illustration taking anywhere from 50 to 250 hours to realize. ‘I draw the subject with the pen, many pens for each illustration actually, by superimposing layers of chaotic lines on top of one another, until I achieve the right nuances in even the smallest details,’ he continues. classic cars — familiar and beloved subjects –bear personal and individual experiences and memories that are given new context and meaning through paglia’s pen.

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1970 lamborghini miura

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1970 lamborghini miura (detail) 

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1970 lamborghini miura (detail) 

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1962 ferrari 250 GTO by scaglietti

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1962 ferrari 250 GTO by scaglietti (detail)

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1962 ferrari 250 GTO by scaglietti (detail) 

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1958 porsche 356 speedster

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
the use of pen, unlike pencil, allows alessandro to achieve richer, vivid tones

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
bugatti atlantic 1937 type 57

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
bugatti atlantic 1937 type 57 (detail)

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1969 chevrolet corvette stingray

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
1969 chevrolet corvette stingray (detail) 

these rare, classic cruisers have been meticulously hand-drawn with ink
paglia showing the scale of his classic car drawings