Colorado-based artist Evan Lorenzen just released a new book, but it's not your average book – it's no larger than one inch tall and features drawings smaller than your thumbnail. "Life's Lil Pleasures," his latest micro-book, features illustrations of all the little things that make life worth living.
As unbelievably tiny as this book is, Lorenzen is an old hand at creating micro books. The wonderful thing about his books is their haiku-like quality, where he manages to convey beautiful memories, strong emotions or deep and introspective thoughts with the use of just a few words.
The accompanying illustrations, especially given their size, are beautiful and impressive. Lorenzen works primarily with pencil and ink, though he does use watercolors as well. Read on for the artist's responses to Bored Panda's questions about his work!
"Initially I started making tiny books because I was getting frustrated at the time it took me to draw larger, highly-detailed images," Evan Lorenzen told Bored Panda."The little books were a way to do an array of drawings without spending weeks creating them"
"I have always been attracted to very fine detail and precision, so it felt like a very natural progression for me"
"When creating the tiny books, I start off by ripping the paper into the pages as well as cutting out a cover. I compile all of the pages and bind them together with vintage thread and a normal sewing needle"
"I create the blank books before I do any of the drawings, so it is very important that I remain as precise as possible when drawing them. So far, I have not had to take apart or remake any of the books"
"During the entire making process from binding to drawing, I do not use anything but paper, thread, a sewing needle, a pen, and my hands. My whole goal has been to get as small as I can without the use of any magnifying instrument in the making process"
"I like to spend a lot of time just pondering ideas of scale and size and how to recontextualize these thoughts in a macro format. I love word play, so I also spend a lot of time thinking about everyday phrases that relate to size in subtle ways"
"My whole intention in this overarching project has been to push the limits of my creativity and physical body; to go as small, precise, and inward as I can get while also telling a story in the little space that I have created"
"I hope that this project inspires others to push against their self-imposed limitations in order to discover a unknown facet of themselves as well as unrecognized possibilities about the world we exist in. We are living in a pivotal time in history when creativity and new modes of thinking are imperative keys to dissolving outdated cultural stagnancies"
Thank you, Evan Lorenzen, for talking to Bored Panda about your wonderful books!