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
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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 8x8 inch but I class my miniatures as anything below 6 inches. Either way, it's a small drawing when compared to my usual 16x12 pieces."
Ruby And Lily
"Ruby the Springer Spaniel and Lily the Pointer, drawn from 2 separate photos over 20 hours."
Brides
Sam
"Tribute drawing of Sam. My first horse portrait."
NO WAY, this is so detailed, all the hairs right etc. I'm beyond impressed
Stan Lee
"Comic book writer, actor, and producer. The legendary Stan Lee."
Me: draws stan lee* This guy: exists* Me: *SWEATING NERVOUSLY WITH GUN TO HEAD WHILE DRAWING*
Farewell
Snowy Fun
"A commissioned pencil portrait of a small dog playing outside."
Alice And Smokie
Highland Cow
"This is my pencil contribution to the Highland Cow trend. Because why not?"
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."
Chester Tribute
"A tribute to the lead singer in Linkin Park who sadly, took his own life in 2017."
He tried so hard, and got so far... in the end, it did matter. I wish he was here to see that. <3
Wow, this is absolutely stunning. Beautiful artwork like this will always keep our beloved departed alive in our hearts. <3
Ralph
"It was a pleasure to draw this stunning horse and I was really pleased with the outcome."
Angela Lansbury
"This pencil portrait took roughly 12 hours to complete and was drawn from a photo taken in 1950."
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."
Archie
"This pencil portrait was commissioned by Hannah as a tribute to her boy Archie who passed away recently."
Two Labs
"A drawing of two labradors enjoying the sun."
Dunardry View
Baby Portrait
"A commission from Janet who gifted this to her daughter after the birth of her new baby boy."
Bill Paxton
"My pencil portrait of the late Bill Paxton. The only man to have taken on an Alien, a Predator, and a Terminator."
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)."
Perfectly captured the light hitting the glass. Something I could never quite wrap my head around... Great job!
Thanos
Zack
Boxer
Horse Head
I've literally never seen any drawings as realistic as these in my entire life, this is truly amazing!
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."
Alfie On The Pier
Are any of these for sale? and where do we go to commission pieces?
The Family Homes
"Commissioned piece showing the clients previous family dwellings."
Aquaman
A Happy Couple
"An A4 sized pencil portrait of some newlyweds."
Brothers
Holiday Snap
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."
Horse With Rider
Alloway
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."
Arnold Schwarzenegger
I think it does look like a young arnie, perhaps based on a movie poster
Luke Skywalker
Is it just me or do the first/ last posts get the most comments, at least in the articles where there's a lot of pictures so people pay less attention to the pictures in the middle of the article?
Alex Ferguson
"My portrait of the legendary football manager."
This guy cant be left-handed or right-handed. He’s not a ambidextrous person either. He draws with the hands of god.
Without a doubt, you are a amazing, talented beyond belief, professional.
I read the intro, then scrolled down and looked at each image... and I can't stop thinking about the fact that he rubbed off some pencil marks from some of these artworks to prove that they were drawn. That's a permanent loss of something beautiful. Even if he draws again on top of it, that's just... that's such a loss. How could they make him do that?!
Incredible talent and fantastic drawings, no wonder people thought they were too good to be true.
So talented! Love each and every one of them! Keep up the beautiful works of art! You really capture people~
These are beautiful and extraordinary works, but "too realistic?" You can clearly see they're pencil, just amazingly well done. UK has some weird views and laws.
Most photography bores me to tears and the boring-est is portraits. Now, if you had an octopus tentacle coming out of a nostril or the back of the head melting or tusks on the horse and the bride, then it's a drawing...otherwise *yawn* who cares?
Wonderful. As an aspiring artist who is currently trying to improve, I understand that the process of drawing can be very difficult at times. I whole-heartedly appreciate the incredible dedication to these sketches. Incredible work.
Your dad did the right thing when he managed to persuade you to quit your job! You are seriously good at photorealistic drawing. Someone without your talent and capability must have had a case of ugly malicious envy to report you to the Trading Standards, but in doing so, they actually paid you a great compliment. What a story.
Well at least after all his troubles he now has some sort of official certification of authenticity from the Trading Standards constabulary to help boost his sales.
yeah it's actually called trading standards in the uk. look it up
Load More Replies...This guy cant be left-handed or right-handed. He’s not a ambidextrous person either. He draws with the hands of god.
Without a doubt, you are a amazing, talented beyond belief, professional.
I read the intro, then scrolled down and looked at each image... and I can't stop thinking about the fact that he rubbed off some pencil marks from some of these artworks to prove that they were drawn. That's a permanent loss of something beautiful. Even if he draws again on top of it, that's just... that's such a loss. How could they make him do that?!
Incredible talent and fantastic drawings, no wonder people thought they were too good to be true.
So talented! Love each and every one of them! Keep up the beautiful works of art! You really capture people~
These are beautiful and extraordinary works, but "too realistic?" You can clearly see they're pencil, just amazingly well done. UK has some weird views and laws.
Most photography bores me to tears and the boring-est is portraits. Now, if you had an octopus tentacle coming out of a nostril or the back of the head melting or tusks on the horse and the bride, then it's a drawing...otherwise *yawn* who cares?
Wonderful. As an aspiring artist who is currently trying to improve, I understand that the process of drawing can be very difficult at times. I whole-heartedly appreciate the incredible dedication to these sketches. Incredible work.
Your dad did the right thing when he managed to persuade you to quit your job! You are seriously good at photorealistic drawing. Someone without your talent and capability must have had a case of ugly malicious envy to report you to the Trading Standards, but in doing so, they actually paid you a great compliment. What a story.
Well at least after all his troubles he now has some sort of official certification of authenticity from the Trading Standards constabulary to help boost his sales.
yeah it's actually called trading standards in the uk. look it up
Load More Replies...