NOW that’s my type of artist! The key, or rather keys, to James Cook’s masterpieces are the old school typewriters he uses to create them, either in his studio or while off on his travels.

In the past ten years, the London artist has produced more than 300 typewritten drawings, using 60 typewriters, most of which have been generously donated by fans of his work.

“Each drawing is assembled from a variety of characters, letters and punctuation marks using the forty-four keys of a typical typewriter,” explains James. “The keys are tapped at variable pressures to achieve tonal shading.”

And it’s not all on A4. His artwork ranges in size from postcards to huge murals using rolls of paper. The biggest pictures are done in sections, then hot-pressed together for the final result.

It pays to look closely, too. Brilliant as they are, there’s often more to them than initially meets the eye – because James usually hides messages inspired by each particular subject or location.

His recreation of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pear Earring, for example, is composed of the words “earring,” “girl,” and “pearl” repeated over and over again on the page.

James combines his love of travel with his art, and has become well-known for his landscapes lovingly created line after line, including iconic images of London, Paris, New York and others.

When not on a rooftop, or in a park somewhere, he works out of a studio filled with old typewriters at at London’s Trinity Buoy Wharf, boasting incredible views of the O2 and Greenwich Peninsula. 

Among his many fans are Hollywood A-lister – and fellow typewriter fan – Tom Hanks, chart star Kelly Clarkson, members of the Doctor Who cast and a host of TV presenters.

James was particularly proud to be asked recently to create a drawing of the late Queen Elizabeth II for a former royal household member in exchange for a typewriter that was used in Buckingham Palace by the Royal Clerk.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a lifetime love of typewriters, having a mum who worked as a solicitor’s probate clerk, and having myself enjoyed a 50-year career in journalism.

Above is the first typewriter I used when I started at the Stockport Express newspaper way back in 1974, a magnificent old Imperial handed down to me by feature writer Iain Meekley.

I was fortunate to have started out in the glory days of print journalism, before the advent of 24-hour TV news and the internet, when printing newspapers was still a hot metal affair.

To learn more about James Cook, and to visit his online store, head to James Cook Artwork and follow him on Instagram.