He designed the entire city of Buenos Aires and it was a sensation: “Many wonder why I do it”

Abraham Gómez has done it again. After hand-drawing La Plata, Rosario, Quilmes and Mataderos, among other cities, this social media sensation illustrator has done the same with City of Buenos Aires.

It was one of the most requested sites by his followers. “I had it in mind for a while, they asked me a lot“Abraham told Clarin.

In his last major work – the most important to date – between 15 and 18 neighborhoods of Buenos Aires appear. “Some are more complete than others,” the artist clarified. The original version, the one he has in his house in La Plata, measures 50×70. And he will stay there until he gets tired.

His most ambitious work

–Is there really the whole city of Buenos Aires there?

-To a large extent yes. Somehow what I do is not so generic. I have limitations: the size, the view, the thickness of the microfiber I use. I extract as much information as I can so I can bring it to the block. The composition is apple for apple. I go grid by grid of the city. That’s why it is in volume and seen from above.

Abraham used satellite maps from Google Earth and Google Maps as a basis and was encouraged to complete the CABA locations which are still halfway done.

“What I add has to do with the information I manage. For example, in the City there are some places that are not finished, but sooner or later they will be. I researched what their shapes are and added them. I don’t want to miss them,” Abraham said.

One of these sites “invented” by Gómez is the viaduct that connects Belgrano Sur with Plaza Constitución, “which is not finished but is about to be realized”.

The architecture student, known in X as @gomezeibrabegan creating the CABA map in late 2022. But the first brushstroke He only gave it at the end of June 2023, when he decided to resume work after several months of abandonment. And the last one? January 10th.

He sprint the final was very important. On the first day of 2024, Abraham set out to complete the missing 40% of the map.

“I knew that the city of Buenos Aires would have its own complexity,” he acknowledged. Unlike the map of La Plata, which was created in twenty days, CABA required several months of work. Of course: he did it on interrupted days.

He devoted one to two hours a day to drawing. “With full-time work I would have finished it in much less time.” To do this he mainly uses technical drawing materials: rechargeable microfibres, pencils, rulers.

Fury in the networks

His creation exploded on X, a social network where people asked tons of questions. The one that stood out the most: “Why?”underlined Gómez, who assures that the idea was born from the mix of two of his passions: cities and drawings.

-Do they tell you you’re crazy?

-Yes. There’s a bit of madness, because not everyone is asked to design cities like this. I always take it as a joke, I have no problem with it. They tell me “what a mess you are” and most of them don’t know that what I do is my normal job, the only one I have. Most of the comments are also positive.

When Abraham says the drawings are his “regular work,” he means that many, most, are made to order. People talk to him in private messages and ask him about cities. The price varies depending on the amount of work needed to create the map.

Many of the designs he made on request are offered on his site Gómezilustra in different sizes. This is your other source of work.

However, not all cities lend themselves to the sheet format. Ushuaia, for example, considers it very difficult due to its shape.

While drawing, Abraham listens to music or documentaries. There’s a part of him that screams to finish, but another that relaxes him. He serves as therapy.

-What happens if you make a mistake at an advanced level of your drawing?

-It’s rare for that to happen. I try not to do it, it would change my whole pattern. I make sure that first, in the preliminary phase, everything is correct. With that foundation well done I have a 98% chance that the job will go well. The most difficult phase is building the city.

-How everything is going? Are you looking for more?

-Buenos Aires was the top of the range I wanted to make. I would like to continue in Argentina. Maybe Córdoba, Mendoza…. or Montevideo. I would also like other countries. I would like that quite a bit.

Beyond the economic value he attributes to his drawings, Abraham believes that just being able to show them and have people like them makes him happy. And for this he is grateful.