This Artist’s Doodles Are Made of The Weirdest Material

You won’t find Vincent Bal’s art hanging in a museum. In fact, even if you’ll see it on paper, you probably won’t understand it. That’s because Bal is an artist that draws with shadows.

Bal is a filmmaker and illustrator from Antwerp, Belgium who one day decided to experiment with a new form of art. He picked up some scraps and everyday objects, put them on paper and took a good, long look at their shadows. Where others would see the shadow of a wine glass or an old keychain, Bal saw people and places. So he started drawing the thing he saw in the shadow, and thus Shadowology was born.

Shadowology is something between an art piece and a game. Bal draws his shadow doodles, then removes the object from the paper. The doodles become simple lines on the paper without the shadow to outline them. Bal turns on his camera and films the confusing doodle, and then place the shadow-casting object back on the paper. Right in front of the eyes of his viewers, the lines become a face, a dancing couple, a furry animal.

Bal has been posting his shadow doodles on IG and has recently published a book of his creations. His shadow doodles bring a smile to the faces of thousands of people every day.