Artist Creates Stunning Portraits out of Tulle Fabric

Upon first glance at Benjamin Shine’s work, you might think these art pieces are sketched or painted, with digital enhancements. But they’re actually constructed entirely of a material that is both underused and underrated in art pieces – tulle.

Tulle is the mesh fabric that ballerina skirts are made out of, and it’s not something that we often see in artwork. However, Shine’s pieces are made completely out of tulle, and must impressively, many of them are portraits.

This artist creates facial details, shading, and silhouette by strategically ironing the material in different shapes. Most recently, he’s completed a tulle portrait series dedicated to the frontline workers, depicting healthcare workers all over the globe to honor their values of courage and kindness.

The overall mood and feeling that the viewer is left with is immense, and the level of meticulous detailб put into these works is just as impressive. One of the portraits is of Shaan Sahota, a doctor in London who was moved form surgery to ICU to take care of Covid-19 patients. She was featured in the Guardian and inspired Benjamin to reach out, soon after creating this portrait.

Ben also created a video for Fashion Insiders, in which he refers to himself as an inventor. Shine actually attended fashion school, and we love the ways that his work merges the worlds of fashion and art in such bold ways.