The Black Picasso

A few years ago, whilst scrolling down my instagram timeline, I came across a hand drawn picture of my friend, it was PHENOMENAL to say the least. I just had to know where she got it from! It turned out to be her friend Aaron Samuels (@adstarh_art) who had carefully sketched, shaded and beautfiully finshed this amazing peice of art. I followed him on instagram and have admired his work ever since. Every time I see a new drawing uploaded, I stop and marvel at it for at least 5 minutes and then show the closest person to me for them to do the same thing. Aaron doesn't know this, but I have done it for years now, I just think his work is amazing and he is going to get far in life because of it!

Of course I wanted to feature his work on the AIB website because he is so SO talented and it is not everyday you come across drawings like this. He calls himself 'The Black Picasso' and I can honestly say there isn't a title more fitting. Here is The Black Picasso's artist profile and INSPIRING story of his background.

Enjoy x

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Artist Profile

I am a pencil portrait artist who is highly engrossed in precision and detail. The style of drawing I favour is photo-realism. My aim is to convey the relationship between both the drawing and photograph to create a realistic effect. I have been drawing all my life from quick illustrative sketches to extensive detailed pencil drawings.

I became interested in photorealism and hyperrealism after researching and drawing inspiration from artists such as Kelvin Okafor and Jason Brooks. I started to develop my style by experimenting with new techniques to achieve a hyper realistic effect. Although I use photographs as references for my drawings, I find that a lot of my work tends to be improvised. This is because I work very loosely with the photograph once I have the correct proportions, creating a unique style of drawing. Even though my portraits may look realistic from a distance, close-up you would be able to see that I have used a series of dots and line marks which react to each other in order to create a vibrant texture.

I usually begin a portrait by studying the photograph first, familiarising myself with the subject before I start drawing. I start from the eyes and make my way outwards making sure I capture as much detail as I can.

My Story

Art has always been a big part of life. I’ve always been known as an artist. From an early age I felt like I was put on a pedestal by friends, family and teachers when it came to art because my work would always be used as an example in my art class. Growing up on the gritty side of London, surrounded by drugs and violence, I found it hard to stay focused.

After my dad left home, and my brother moved out, I became the man of the house, so it was imperative I started to earn some money to support my mum and sister. I applied for numerous jobs working for different people and later realized this was not the life I wanted to live. At these desperate times I was willing to try anything to provide for my family, but my friends encouraged me to keep on the right track telling me ‘I was too talented to be risking my freedom’. After College I felt like my knowledge of the art world was insufficient, so I decided to take some time off to develop my art skills and learn more about how could use my skills to start earning some money. After researching artists such as Kelvin Okafor and Dirk Dzimirsky I started to experiment by using different tools and also spent longer time periods trying to achieve a realistic outcome.

After my first exhibition ‘Shades of Grey’, I did to commemorate Black history month, I felt like my knowledge of the art world greatly broadened. I was introduced to a different set of people, who gave me insight of what I needed to do to progress. I then started to post my art online and started to gain recognition locally and internationally. My ultimate goal is to travel the world and exhibit my art globally, inspiring not just artists, but everybody in general. I’m inspired by people who draw inspiration from my work as it motivates me to continue my journey.

Get Your Own!!

To get your own drawings follow @adstarh_art or visit his website www.aarondsamuelart.co.uk alternatively you can email Info@aaronsamuel.co.uk