Can you imagine a situation when a work of art is so realistic that someone would accuse the artist of fraud? Moreover, the whole situation would be investigated by Trading Standards?
Well, this actually happened to 36-year-old professional artist John Fisher who was one day visited at his home by two inspectors who had questions about the authenticity of his highly detailed pencil drawings. At that moment, Fisher was really surprised because he knew he did not violate any laws. Inspectors explained that they needed to investigate an anonymous report claiming that the artist was ‘scamming’ people by using an app to produce his intricate drawings.
Fisher showed examples of his photorealistic drawings and even rubbed some bits out to prove that he used real pencils to create them. It didn’t take long for the officers to believe the artist as the proof was there. He admitted that this malicious report could have harmed his business and it’s really upsetting that people would go that far without even double-checking their information.
Fisher started his career a few years ago when his father persuaded him to radically change his life: quit his job as a chef to open his own business and become a full-time artist. Though he had a rough start, now he has more than 4,400 followers on his Instagram selling his black and white drawings across the UK. His unique art is often mistaken for photographs because it is so realistic!
More info: johnfisherart.net | Instagram | Facebook
#1 Self-Portrait
“Every portrait artist should put themselves under the microscope at some point and it was time for me to do just that. No frills, no filters, this pencil drawing is my first attempt at a self-portrait and first, of a series of water-themed drawings I’ll be doing over the course of the year. I could almost call this a miniature as it only measures 8×8 inch but I class my miniatures as anything below 6 inches. Either way, it’s a small drawing when compared to my usual 16×12 pieces.”
Image source: John Fisher
#2 Ruby And Lily
“Ruby the Springer Spaniel and Lily the Pointer, drawn from 2 separate photos over 20 hours.”
Image source: John Fisher
#3 Brides
Image source: John Fisher
#4 Sam
“Tribute drawing of Sam. My first horse portrait.”
Image source: John Fisher
#5 Stan Lee
“Comic book writer, actor, and producer. The legendary Stan Lee.”
Image source: John Fisher
#6 Farewell
Image source: John Fisher
#7 Snowy Fun
“A commissioned pencil portrait of a small dog playing outside.”
Image source: John Fisher
#8 Alice And Smokie
Image source: John Fisher
#9 Highland Cow
“This is my pencil contribution to the Highland Cow trend. Because why not?”
Image source: John Fisher
#10 Pennywise
“Actor Bill Skarsgard as he appeared in the movie, IT, where he played the iconic killer clown, Pennywise. The movie is a 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel.”
Image source: John Fisher
#11 Chester Tribute
“A tribute to the lead singer in Linkin Park who sadly, took his own life in 2017.”
Image source: John Fisher
#12 Ralph
“It was a pleasure to draw this stunning horse and I was really pleased with the outcome.”
Image source: John Fisher
#13 Angela Lansbury
“This pencil portrait took roughly 12 hours to complete and was drawn from a photo taken in 1950.”
Image source: John Fisher
#14 Beatrice
“Here’s my pencil tribute portrait of Beatrice the cow who sadly passed away recently. This drawing was commissioned by her owners who loved her dearly and wanted a reminder of Beatrice in her prime.”
Image source: John Fisher
#15 Clint Eastwood
“My pencil portrait of one of my own heroes, Clint Eastwood.”
Image source: John Fisher
#16 Archie
“This pencil portrait was commissioned by Hannah as a tribute to her boy Archie who passed away recently.”
Image source: John Fisher
#17 Two Labs
“A drawing of two labradors enjoying the sun.”
Image source: John Fisher
#18 Dunardry View
Image source: John Fisher
#19 Baby Portrait
“A commission from Janet who gifted this to her daughter after the birth of her new baby boy.”
Image source: John Fisher
#20 Bill Paxton
“My pencil portrait of the late Bill Paxton. The only man to have taken on an Alien, a Predator, and a Terminator.”
Image source: John Fisher
#21 Celebration
“A drawing that was commissioned as part of an anniversary celebration. It shows both wedding rings with each hand holding a glass of the good stuff. (not exactly a portrait, but close enough).”
Image source: John Fisher
#22 Thanos
Image source: John Fisher
#23 Zack
Image source: John Fisher
#24 Boxer
Image source: John Fisher
#25 Horse Head
Image source: John Fisher
#26 Ashley Mova
Image source: John Fisher
#27 Heath Ledger
“This experimental piece of the late Heath Ledger took around 10 hours. I tried to give a double exposure effect and show Heath as himself and also his iconic Joker from The Dark Knight movie.”
Image source: John Fisher
#28 Alfie On The Pier
Image source: John Fisher
#29 James
“Portrait of baby James, commissioned by mum, Emma.”
Image source: John Fisher
#30 The Family Homes
“Commissioned piece showing the clients previous family dwellings.”
Image source: John Fisher
#31 Aquaman
Image source: John Fisher
#32 A Happy Couple
“An A4 sized pencil portrait of some newlyweds.”
Image source: John Fisher
#33 Brothers
Image source: John Fisher
#34 Holiday Snap
Image source: John Fisher
#35 Mia
“The daughter of a close friend posing for a snap at her parents’ wedding.”
Image source: John Fisher
#36 Emma Fyffe
“I recently had the pleasure of working with actress and producer Emma Fyffe. She allowed me to do this pencil portrait of her which took around 10 hours to complete. Based in Hollywood, Emma can be found all over YouTube but currently co-hosting and competing in the Movie Trivia Schmoedown on Collider Video.”
Image source: John Fisher
#37 Horse With Rider
Image source: John Fisher
#38 Alloway
Image source: John Fisher
#39 Multi-Reference
“The client required a drawing of his grandchildren but had two separate photos as a reference. In this case, they were positioned in such a way that they looked natural enough when placed together in the drawing.”
Image source: John Fisher
#40 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Image source: John Fisher
#41 Luke Skywalker
Image source: John Fisher
#42 Alex Ferguson
“My portrait of the legendary football manager.”
Image source: John Fisher
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