Hyperrealistic charcoal drawing of Martin Luther King Jr

in Sketchbook4 years ago

Hello people, hope you're doing great? Today I'd like to share something I've been working on for the past two weeks, while simultaneously participating in the daily drawing challenge. Here is my portrait of Martin Luther King Jr, a man who truly needs no introduction.

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Martin Luther King Jr was a black rights activist who spent his best years fighting for equality and against racism against black people. He was bold and firm in his methods yet never had a violent bone in his body. He led several people and spoke at different rallies through which he inspired many to stand and fight for their rights also.

Unfortunately he was assassinated at the early age of 39 before he could witness the dreams he spoke about at length in his popular "I have a dream" speech. However his heroics would birth several little "MLKs" for generations to come, people who risked it all to fight for the rights of the common man. Thank you MLK!

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At a time like this when some old wounds have been reopened and it seems like the battle against racism hasn't been won, I decided to make a portrait of this man to remind everyone that even just one dedicated person can change the world!

Below are some progress shots from this piece...

Reference photo

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I worked mainly with charcoal pencils and graphite powder especially on the skin, then I did details using a Tombow mono eraser and and graphite pencils

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Summary

Title: Martin Luther King Jr
Size: 28 by 34 inches
Medium: Graphite and Charcoal on Strathmore Bristol 300 paper
Duration: 2 weeks

Thanks for stopping by, means a lot to me. Please share your thoughts and don't forget to leave a thumbs up.

PEACE✌🏽

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WOW.....!!!!!
Your painting skill is Great!!

Thank you so much

Unbelievably great!

Man, when I saw the image I thought it was a photo or are a slightly manipulated photo with photoshop. But seeing your pictures how you created it clearly shows how you painted it. This is incredibly well done and the title is no exaggeration at all. You are a master of your art and I will put you on my Creativecoin autovoter for this.

Wow thanks a lot, your kind words and commitment...they have gone a long way to make my day!