YouTube artist reaping rewards
Artist Francis Wambua during an interview at Nation Centre, Nairobi, on November 1, 2018. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO
What you need to know:
- He has never taken any art classes, yet his incredible talent allows him to create these photographic-quality drawings using only graphite pencils.
- He credits his creations to skills gained from watching YouTube tutorials.
At 22, he says that he is still teaching himself how to perfect his work.
Francis Wambua Kisoi aka Frank grew up in Machakos and his love for drawing started when he was still a teenager, but he didn’t take it seriously until he finished high school.
Frank says that he has never taken any art classes, yet his incredible talent allows him to create these photographic-quality drawings using only graphite pencils. He credits his creations to skills gained from watching YouTube tutorials.
“A friend saw what I had drawn and advised me to watch YouTube. From then, I learned how to hold the pencil and be able to smudge my work.”
Most of his portraits are in black and white. Frank adds that he likes to portray more of human emotions, which these show, unlike colour portraits.
“I focus on the human body and its flaws in order to find authenticity. My motive is to portray desire and passion in a different light,” he explained when asked why he decided to draw in black and white.
He prefers to limit himself to pencil and charcoal as basic drawing techniques, since he’s “not as good with colours”. He sold his first work at Sh500 but now he commands up to Sh30,000 per piece, and he is yet to showcase his work at a gallery. Most of his clients’ commission what they want.
Frank spends most of his time working and drawing what he has been commissioned to do. He usually takes about two to three days to complete a piece, but once spent a month painstakingly drawing one of his biggest artworks.
The self-taught artist says his next work will be trying to perfect hyperrealism and hopes he will soon be able to draw realistic artworks that tease the eyes and the brain.
Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. It is considered an advancement of photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures.
Frank, who will be graduating soon, is hoping to have his first showing in a year. He frequently sells his pieces online, so those looking to get an awe-inspiring piece should head over to his social media.
In addition, check out more of the artist's awesome work on his Instagram page.
