Enam Bosokah

Enam Bosokah | Ghana

Bic Pen Drawings

See all of Enam's Sold Originals

How to have Enam Bosokah
make a Custom Drawing:

1. Submit a photograph that you would like to be considered for a commission by Enam. If you don't already know how a commission works, we have Enam draw it in Ghana and send to you from there. We hold all the funds owed to Enam until his drawing reaches your home and you say that you are happy with it.

This photograph you are submitting could be something African, it could be a family member, an image you like very much, etc.
The photograph needs to be High Resoultion, meaning it was NOT taken on a camera phone but is such that it renders 5-10 MB (MegaBytes) in a file size and is clear, especially when you zoom in. You can make a High Resolution image of an old photograph by using a scanner at a store like Staples or Kinkos, or you may have your own scanner. If the image is blurry when you zoom in, Enam cannot use that rendering.

2. The starting price for a 12" x 16" is $800. The price increases if there is more than one subjects and/or the photo draws a lot of complexity (like mountains in the background, a black shirt or hair, etc.).

3. We would collect 1/2 for a deposit and the balance can be paid once the drawing is finished and you've approved a photograph of it and Enam is ready to send it to you.

It would take 1-3 weeks for Enam to draw your work and send them to you via DHL. All of his drawings are made by his eyes, hands, a piece of paper, and a Bic Pen. That's it.

Exclusive Interview with Enam Bosokah

True African Art spent some good time with Enam on the telephone over the course of several conversations. He is a good man, knowledgable about his African art paintings and passionate about his role as an African artist. In his own words, here are some of the highlights of what Enam has relayed to us:

About his career, Enam says:

"I want the public to know that I am just a young artist who is craving to do more. I really don't feel like I found my time in art just yet. For some time now we have big names come from Europe, Asia, and America. But here I am, I am coming from Africa. I want to make it all the way to the top. I want to be in so many different countries wanting my work. 20 years from now, I want records of my art and how it was made a success. I want to inspire people all over the world."

"There are seven of us in my family. My younger brother also practices art and my Dad draws too. In his ancestral line there are a few artists, though my Dad never took it up as a profession.

It was very early when I knew I could draw. I didn't have access to education in art or its resources while growing up. But I remember in an Elementary class, we had to draw an animal. The teacher walked around to see how we were doing and she saw my work and encouraged the whole class to come over to see how I drew. She described it as 'Amazing.' Later, my teacher would call me up to the board to draw on an occasional basis for the class to look on and draw in their sketch books.

As I grew older, I had to fulfill the dream within me which was producing art. I went to the University, studied art, got my degree and decided to have a feel of the reality on the field of practice before I plunged into a Masters of Fine Arts degree. I eventually got disappointed going in with so much energy and optimism but with no funds. But then, I had a pen and paper, a perfect media, I thought. That was how it all begun. And I am doing very well now.

There is no name for the style of drawing I do. There are a lot of lines and minute squares. I have not named my style as I will always change it, I didn't want to keep to one confinement. It's a freestyle.

I work in the evening, late in the night where I can draw without interruption. I can come back to a painting after a long time, unless I am commissioned to do a piece for a client. I do what I feel like doing at what time. But roughly, it takes about 3-4 days to make a piece.

Although I love sculpture, I have a real opportunity with African paintings. This is it. I am very much open to art and what it can bring to me and people who love my work.

Art within me keeps growing and growing. I don't know where the painting thing is going to take me, but I am willing to explore. I want to get deep into my subject and focus on that inner being of my subject and that is what I try to capture, the essence of a person through an original portrait drawn only with a ball point pen.

I want the public to know that I am just a young artist who is craving to do more. I really don't feel like I found my time in art just yet. For some time now we have big names come from Europe, Asia, and America. But here I am, I am coming from Africa. I want to make it all the way to the top. I want to be in so many different countries wanting my work. Regardless of what medium: my pen works, my sculptures, my paintings. 20 years from now, I want records of my art and how it was made a success. I want to inspire people all over the world."

In another interview, this is what was said about Enam's drawing process:

"The artist’s drawings offer a glimpse into his process, and the exquisite images are produced with many layers of pen marks. Bosokah will start with wide, criss-crossing lines and refine the drawing with this repetitive motion. It allows him to add as much shading as necessary to make his subjects appear three dimensional. And, looking at every highlight, subtle shadow, and texture, it’s awe-inspiring what you can do with an everyday office tool.

'A lot of artists avoid pens because of the irreversibility (i.e., the inability to erase), but I believe it is one of the easier tools to work with,' says Enam. Eyeing from a distance, the images look more like black and white pictures. A closer glance, however, reveals intense use of creative techniques such as cross-hatching and stippling."