| Title | Self Portrait 2026 |
| Medium | Digital Print & Charcoal Pencil on paper |
| Year | 2026 |
| Size | 32″ x 24” |
| Price | Private Collection |
David’s first attempt at combining digital graphics and hand drawing on paper. Because of the smoothness of the paper, pencil didn’t allow for the darkness de Hilster wanted so he used charcoal pencil.
To combine both his digital art and intellectual graffiti and his drawing, he took a photo of himself and did digital graffiti around it. He then removed his photo digitally, sent the digital portion to be printed, and then drew in his portrait on the printed paper.
The graphic on the left is what David calls “exploded art”, where he uses computer code he wrote to take a picture blow it up, randomly rotate the pieces, and randomly colors them. The computer code is written in JavaScript for an Adobe Illustrator, his graphic drawing program of choice.
Can you see what is contained on in the photo? The artist leaves a clue in his the artwork.
Image Description
The image is a mixed-media artwork featuring a self-portrait by David de Hilster. The composition is divided into two main sections. On the left, there is an abstract explosion of a colorful photo representing a famous place in Rio de Janeiro. The vibrant colors are a mix of greens, purples, blues, and reds. Text overlays this area, including large, stylish lettering spelling “de Hilster” along with his first name camouflaged above.
In the middle, there is a detailed charcoal drawing of David de Hilster’s face on digitally printed paper, merging both traditional and digital art techniques. Surrounding the portrait are abstract shapes, text, and schematic drawings, combining to create a dynamic contrast with the colorful left side. There are subtle geometric patterns and sections of code or equations interspersed throughout.
Alt Text
Mixed-media artwork featuring David de Hilster’s self-portrait with colorful abstract art of Rio de Janeiro.
