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Visoth Kakvei’s Absorbing Sketchbook Drawings

Visoth Kakvei, a Cambodia-born artist who resides in Maine, crafts intricate, illusion-filled drawings inside of his sketchbook.The artist sometimes digitally enhances these works, further pushing the absorbing nature of his work and keeping the viewer guessing which aspects of the work are inherent and which are affected.


Visoth Kakvei, a Cambodia-born artist who resides in Maine, crafts intricate, illusion-filled drawings inside of his sketchbook.The artist sometimes digitally enhances these works, further pushing the absorbing nature of his work and keeping the viewer guessing which aspects of the work are inherent and which are affected.

The artist often offers commentary with his works on his popular Instagram account. The top image was accompanied by, “When every page of my sketchbook is full of nature, I’d always want to get lost in it. Would you?” And the below image, carrying an engrossing owl with digital embellishments, bears, “Fighting for the night. Once he’s freed, the world will turn dark forever.”

The 27-year-old artist’s Instagram often offers process videos, a look at both some of the works before they are activated digitally and the artist’s steady hand. Even with the digital enhancements, the most involved, hyperdetailed aspects of Kakvei’s works are done via traditional means.

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