London typewriter artist James Cook – Credit: SWNS
A London artist has created a series of amazing artworks—including a scene from Wimbledon’s centre court—using just keystrokes from a vintage typewriter.
From his studio in Canning Town, East London, James Cook says he types over a million letters and symbols onto the piece of paper to create his masterpieces—using only his right index finger.
The 29-year-old has been using typewriters since he was 17 and first worked with one during a school art project.
Today, he also owns around 100 typewriters from across the world, with most of them arriving as donations from fans.
The artist’s work mainly consists of famous cityscapes—like Rome, Paris, and New York—and celebrity portraits, including Shakespeare and Tom Hanks.
His most recent piece, “Wimbledon 2026”, took six weeks to complete, and has been viewed over 8 million times on social media. (Watch his video at the bottom…)
James Cook via SWNS
“I fell in love with the typewriter after using it for a school art project,” said James, from Braintree, Essex. “It felt like such a unique way to capture the world.
Most people are shocked that drawings like these are even possible.
“I still can’t believe sometimes that this is my job.
“The Wimbledon piece has taken me to another level, as now I have actual players and legends like Billie Jean King commenting on my work.”
James Cook artwork detail – SWNS
While in high school working on his assignment to ‘create art with technology’, James learned about Paul Smith, the original “Typewriter Artist” who used the machines to overcame severe spastic cerebral palsy.
“I’ll never forget traipsing around the charity shops in my area looking for one. We had no luck until an older couple overheard my dad asking the shopkeeper behind the counter.
“They said I could have their 1950 Oliver Courier model, and I went that same afternoon to pick it up.
James continued producing his typewriter art while studying architecture at University College London—earning a degree that “inspired” a lot of his cityscape work.
When James started posting about his work on social media, it led to him landing some commissions. But his big break came after his work was shown on the BBC News, leading him to be able to become a full-time artist.
James Cook’s studio – SWNS
He says small A4–sized artworks can take around five days with larger A3 pieces taking weeks at a time.
Prints cost between $130 – $400 (£96 to £300) depending on the size.
His love of tennis inspired his latest Wimbledon piece, which took him around 378 hours, working 9 hours a day.
He fed the paper through the retro 1932 Smith Premier typewriter dozens of times to produce the extraordinary drawing.
“I have always wanted to go to Wimbledon but have never managed to get tickets. So I decided to capture the competition in my own artistic way.”
The artwork depicts a game on centre court between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer—but upon closer inspection, whimsey is at play, with fun characters and phrases hidden throughout the piece.
These include a ball boy picking up balls, but his bag is ripped, and a man dressed up as a giant strawberry. Names of players, like Andy Murray and Venus Williams, are sprinkled throughout, along with tennis jargon like “deuce” and “rally”. (Watch the animation below…)
“My favorite is the woman who climbed up a ladder and is trying to sneak a peek of the game because they couldn’t get a ticket.”
The artist said he developed this light-hearted style after being inspired by the ‘Where’s Waldo’ puzzle books as a child.
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The green color of the grass was made using specially-made typewriter ribbons.
“Colored ribbons sold online have allowed me to add color, which has opened up a brand new creative doorway.
Notable symbols include the use of commas and quotation marks to create texture on the grass, and a capital letter ‘G’ is used for people’s hands.
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James says this artwork is the “hardest” he’s completed, to date. He also made a working animation to promote the work, which took around two weeks.
“I am immensely proud of it.”
See more of James’s work online at jamescookartwork.com or on Instagram: @jamescookartwork
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