Depiction of astonishingly realistic pencil artwork garners 2.3 million views on TikTok, crafted over a two-year period
In the world of art, a new name is making waves - Gurekbal Bhachu. The London-based artist has recently gone viral on TikTok with a photorealistic portrait of his mother, amassing an impressive 2.3 million views. The portrait, which can also be viewed on YouTube, showcases Bhachu's exceptional talent and attention to detail.
The portrait, praised for its realism, stands out for its attention to detail, particularly the depiction of individual pores. Bhachu's art, aside from this masterpiece, also includes other realistic pieces that demonstrate his skill with pencils. For this detailed work, he used pencils that have spreadable, smoothable, and blendable pigment, such as Derwent Chromaflow pencils, specially designed for easy blending and achieving realistic dimensional drawings.
For photorealistic graphite drawings, artists often use a range of graphite pencils from very hard (H) to very soft (B) to capture fine details and deep shadows. A set of graphite pencils ranging from 2H to 8B is recommended for high-quality realism drawings like Bhachu's, to achieve a wide tonal range.
While the search results focus more on colored pencils for realism, the characteristics that make pencils suitable include a variety of hardness levels, smooth, consistent lead for fine blending without scratching the paper, and quality pigments that layer well and don’t smudge excessively. Some artists also mention tools like electric erasers or specialized erasers for creating highlights and textures, which are important for photorealism.
The lips in the portrait have a perfect colour and texture, suggesting lipstick. The woman's face is built up by layering different shades, filling in colour, and using dots. The eye detail in the portrait is particularly impressive, with the artist creating the appearance of moisture and reflectiveness. Each eyebrow hair is crafted with pinpoint accuracy.
Bhachu is a self-taught artist, and his YouTube channel contains more videos showcasing his realistic art, some in colour and some in black and white. His channel also includes videos breaking down the artistic process into smaller chunks, making it easier for aspiring artists to learn from him. For those interested in learning the basics and beyond, there's a link to a "how to draw" tutorial roundup in the article.
In a video detailing the two-year process of creating the portrait, Bhachu demonstrates his dedication and passion for his craft. The Creative Bloq Newsletter offers daily design news, reviews, how-tos, and more for those wanting to stay updated on the latest in the art world.
- Gurekbal Bhachu's exceptional talent is evident in his photorealistic portraits, such as the one of his mother that recently went viral on TikTok.
- The portrait's realism is highlighted by the artist's attention to detail, especially the depiction of individual pores.
- Bhachu's art collection features other realistic pieces, demonstrating his skill with pencils and the Derwent Chromaflow pencils he used for the detailed work.
- For photorealistic graphite drawings, a range of graphite pencils from very hard (H) to very soft (B) is recommended, as is a set ranging from 2H to 8B for a wide tonal range.
- The lips in Bhachu's portrait have a perfect color and texture, suggesting lipstick, and the woman's face is built up by layering different shades, filling in color, and using dots.
- The eye detail in the portrait is particularly impressive, with the artist creating the appearance of moisture and reflectiveness, and each eyebrow hair is crafted with pinpoint accuracy.
- Bhachu's YouTube channel showcases more of his realistic art, some in color and some in black and white, and offers tutorials breaking down his artistic process for aspiring artists.
- For those interested in learning the basics and beyond, there is a link to a "how to draw" tutorial roundup in the article.
- In a video on his YouTube channel, Bhachu demonstrates his dedication and passion for his craft, detailing the two-year process of creating the portrait.
- For updates on the latest in the art world, including trends in cybersecurity, data-and-cloud-computing, technology, and artificial-intelligence, subscribe to the Creative Bloq Newsletter.
