Pencil Power!

You are not looking at a photograph. Nigerian artist Arinze (ah-RIHN-zee) Stanley sketched this self-portrait, Famished, with pencil and charcoal on paper. Stanley also relies heavily on his eraser. “I erase all the time for several reasons. I’m either removing slight smudges or creating highlights. Erasing is very essential in my creation process,” he explains. It took him 200 hours to complete the drawing above.

Stanley’s drawings are hyperrealistic, which means his work resembles high-resolution photographs. Without any formal art training, Stanley began pursuing an art career in 2012. “My advice for younger artists is to believe in yourself and always be willing to break through new barriers,” he says.