On June 12, 2023, the artist known on Instagram as Deville posted a short video where, with just a few strokes, she brought to life a series of little characters, each one unique, captioning it: “Could draw these little guys all day.”
Since then, it’s safe to say that’s probably what she’s been doing. Every day, she has created new characters, eventually reaching thousands of stylized figures.
However, Deville’s journey began much earlier, with her studies in urban planning—a background that initially led her artistic career to focus on streets, buildings, and houses. Using black ink and watercolors, the illustrator depicted scenes of real or imaginary cities, playing with architectural elements.
It was only later that she shifted her attention to the elements that truly populate the streets: people. On small and large white sheets, using black ink and a nib pen, Deville draws thousands upon thousands of unique individuals. Her extraordinary talent lies in her ability to characterize and differentiate each of her characters with just a few strokes.
Initially, she let her imagination run wild, drawing anyone who came to mind. Now, however, each of her works portrays the people she encountered in a specific location, giving rise to the “Everyone I Met” series.
The fun part? If you look closely at her characters one by one, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll find one that resembles you.
