Ioann Zelenin: The Art of Speed

Born on July 4, 1996, in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, Ioann Zelenin has carved a path from architecture to fine art, reimagining the very notion of speed and motion in contemporary automotive drawing. His story is one of persistence, inner fire, and a profound pursuit of expressive power.

Gaining admission to the Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg was a challenge—he was accepted into the faculty of architecture on his third attempt. It was there, one floor above his studio, that he met his future wife, Irina, a student of painting. In his fourth year, after winning the All-Russian Architectural Drawing Competition, he caught the attention of renowned architect Sergei Tchoban, who invited him to collaborate.

After graduating, Zelenin moved to Berlin to join Tchoban’s architectural firm SPEECH. During that time, another milestone came into his life—the birth of his daughter Eva. Despite a successful career in architecture, he increasingly felt that his true passion lay not in blueprints but in vivid, emotional illustration.

“I was puzzled—why is every painting so static, so devoid of motion?” Zelenin recalls. “Instead of showing an object in one fixed point, I wanted to explore what came before and after—to truly capture motion on paper.”

Thus began his experiments with charcoal—a medium that would become his signature. One of his early breakthroughs was a piece titled “Run”, portraying a skateboarder against a blurred background of trees. The illustration gained traction online, and a colleague suggested applying this approach to cars.

Until that moment, Zelenin had no particular interest in automobiles. Everything changed when his friend Adel invited him to the Gran Turismo movie premiere. Watching the Porsche 992 GT3 RS tear through the Nürburgring, he experienced a creative awakening.

“I had never seen anything glide through space so smoothly,” he says. “As an artist, if something feels even slightly ‘off,’ I can’t bring it to the canvas. But that Porsche... it was flawless. Seeing it slide between the trees on the big screen, I knew instantly—I had to paint it.”

Thus was born his signature style, which he named “The Art of Speed”—a technique that places each car in an environment that perfectly mirrors its story and spirit.

Now working from his Munich-based studio, Zelenin begins every piece with a highly detailed drawing of the car, a process that can take anywhere from four to twelve days. Only then does he move on to creating the movement—his trademark element.

To achieve this, he uses unconventional tools, such as a wooden stick from an old IKEA bed frame, outfitted with flexible rubber holders. With this tool, he “erases” charcoal lines from different angles, transforming static compositions into living illustrations of motion.

This process can be repeated 100 to 200 times, supplemented by a variety of techniques—texture layering, fine shading, and a cinematic blur effect that can take up to four days to complete.

“When I erase the lines, charcoal particles shift in the direction of motion—like a long-exposure photograph,” Zelenin explains. “The trees, the sky, the background—they disappear, transform—and at that moment, the artwork comes to life.”

Today, he collaborates with elite brands like Porsche, Mercedes, and Nissan, and continues to evolve his technique, now incorporating oil and acrylic paints to enhance the depth and emotional impact of his work.

Each painting is not just an image. It’s a feeling—a burst of speed, energy, and life, captured in charcoal, paint, and pure motion.