Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Artist Was Investigated After Claims That His Artwork Can’t Be That Good And Real
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
This post may include affiliate links.
#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 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."
Rogue Aresa 6 years ago
Drawing hair is so hard and he got even the beard and the shadow cast by the water... WOW
The Chopstick 6 years ago
Me: Im a good artist! Me: sees first photo and puts gun to head.* Me: Another one of these photos and i pull the trigger :D jk
RELATED:
#2
Ruby And Lily
"Ruby the Springer Spaniel and Lily the Pointer, drawn from 2 separate photos over 20 hours."
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
To call you amazing is an understatement, you are blessed with a true gift and all the time you've spent practicing sure has payed off!
Ahnnah Newell 5 years ago
this is not a photo. Defenetly a drawing. A god level awesome drawing!
#3
Brides
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
I love how he managed to capture the beauty and the genuine happiness while still getting all the details right.
yazzle 6 years ago
You could either mean the amount of talent this artist has is scary, or that the people getting married are both women. Nothing wrong with women in love with each other. Love is love, that's all that matters.
Load More Replies...
#4
Sam
"Tribute drawing of Sam. My first horse portrait."
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
NO WAY, this is so detailed, all the hairs right etc. I'm beyond impressed
#5
Stan Lee
"Comic book writer, actor, and producer. The legendary Stan Lee."
The Chopstick 6 years ago
Me: draws stan lee* This guy: exists* Me: *SWEATING NERVOUSLY WITH GUN TO HEAD WHILE DRAWING*
Ahnnah Newell 5 years ago
I love how you do the fine details like hair. I have trouble with that.
Liesa Yopp 6 years ago
These are all beautiful. Anyone that cannot tell these are real drawings is an idiot that should go back and take grade school level art classes again.
#6
Farewell
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
The love, the sadness, the hurt, it's all there, perfectly balanced
#7
Snowy Fun
"A commissioned pencil portrait of a small dog playing outside."
Twenty øne doggos 6 years ago
These are so REAL! The attention to detail is impeccable, it captures the emotions perfectly.
#8
Alice And Smokie
kklpsdragon 6 years ago
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
#9
Highland Cow
"This is my pencil contribution to the Highland Cow trend. Because why not?"
#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."
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
This drawing is so above and beyond incredible that I have no words
Twenty øne doggos 6 years ago
look at the forehead... the wrinkles are amazing, it looks so real!
#11
Chester Tribute
"A tribute to the lead singer in Linkin Park who sadly, took his own life in 2017."
Bluebell Rizzi 6 years ago
He tried so hard, and got so far... in the end, it did matter. I wish he was here to see that. <3
Magriet Perold 6 years ago
Wow, this is absolutely stunning. Beautiful artwork like this will always keep our beloved departed alive in our hearts. <3
#12
Ralph
"It was a pleasure to draw this stunning horse and I was really pleased with the outcome."
#13
Angela Lansbury
"This pencil portrait took roughly 12 hours to complete and was drawn from a photo taken in 1950."
Nia Loves Art 6 years ago
Incredible drawing, but that’s definitely from the 1940’s, not 1950.
#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."
#15
Clint Eastwood
"My pencil portrait of one of my own heroes, Clint Eastwood."
#16
Archie
"This pencil portrait was commissioned by Hannah as a tribute to her boy Archie who passed away recently."
#17
Two Labs
"A drawing of two labradors enjoying the sun."
#19
Baby Portrait
"A commission from Janet who gifted this to her daughter after the birth of her new baby boy."
#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."
Peter Hall 6 years ago
This is him as Master Sergeant Farell in Edge Of Tomorrow, the Tom Cruise movie from 2014.
Noel Benavente 6 years ago
wow, i remembered him in Weird Science, but not in The Terminator or in The Predator :O
#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)."
D r e a m l a n d s 6 years ago
Perfectly captured the light hitting the glass. Something I could never quite wrap my head around... Great job!
Bunzilla 6 years ago
IKR?! I really struggle with light and shadow myself, I just can't seem to wrap my head around how people know just what shape to make every shadow on every part, then how to bring them together. The really frustrating part is that I've never really seen a good book on the subject, just basic footnotes like, how to shade a sphere, and how to shade a cube. Doesn't help me.
Load More Replies...
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
This looks almost more realistic than in real life for some reason... stunning!!
AzKhaleesi 6 years ago
This one is my favorite... they are all stunning but this looks legit like glass I can't even....... I am just absolutely amazed. I am so envious. I wish I had this talent. It's hard enough to draw faces or hands, but to perfectly draw both? Stunning. Even down to the scars and nail beds.... just wow!
#22
Thanos
D r e a m l a n d s 6 years ago
This is in-freakin'-credible! Amazing job, I'm really impressed by the detail in this one.
#23
Zack
Restless 6 years ago
I am a bit scared of them myself, but this is amazing
Load More Replies... 
Chris_the_Creative 6 years ago
I really like the ones with clean white backgrounds and high key aesthetic like the Appaloosa Horse.
#24
Boxer
#25
Horse Head
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
I've literally never seen any drawings as realistic as these in my entire life, this is truly amazing!
#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."
Chris_the_Creative 6 years ago
I love the water color of the sketch, I think this would work beautifully with other drawings and concepts.
#28
Alfie On The Pier
Chris_the_Creative 6 years ago
Are any of these for sale? and where do we go to commission pieces?
PandaPiñata 6 years ago
Click on the name John Fisher under each post. That leads you to his instagram. At that page there is a link to his site. Or just go here : https://www.johnfisherart.net/
Load More Replies... D r e a m l a n d s 6 years ago
Gives me a warm, happy, peaceful vibe. This is how life should be.
#30
The Family Homes
"Commissioned piece showing the clients previous family dwellings."
#32
A Happy Couple
"An A4 sized pencil portrait of some newlyweds."
Cathy Coyer 6 years ago
Her hand on his chest looks like she's pushing him away, but I suppose it was done that way to show off her ring...
#33
Brothers
Pandykinz 6 years ago
I was going to say this one looks more like a drawing than his other ones. Since he's drawing from photos, he's doing the real-life equivalent to the app lol. So much talent, I remember drawing a portrait in my high school art class and it was so very difficult!!
Load More Replies...
#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."
#37
Horse With Rider
#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."
#40
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Lauren Caswell 6 years ago
I think it does look like a young arnie, perhaps based on a movie poster
NoYFB 6 years ago
Oh oops no, it says -18. How is this so much worse than others? Doesn't look like Arnold.
Load More Replies... Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
Art isn't always about making things looking realistic, I don't think you really understand what it's about, how much time, how many hours can be spent on one drawing. I would be thankful if you didn't spread you negative opinions to others:) have a nice day!
Load More Replies... #41
Luke Skywalker
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
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?
Elisabeth Bergbom 6 years ago
I'm truly sorry if I offended anyone, I'm obviously not against this drawing at all, it's better than I could ever do. I'm just stating what I've observed, I might be 100% wrong and if so is the case, sorry people!
Load More Replies... #42
Alex Ferguson
"My portrait of the legendary football manager."
Add New Image
What do you think ?
The Chopstick 6 years ago
This guy cant be left-handed or right-handed. He’s not a ambidextrous person either. He draws with the hands of god.
Carolinapearl 6 years ago
Without a doubt, you are a amazing, talented beyond belief, professional.
Parmeisan 6 years ago
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?!
The Chopstick 6 years ago
This guy cant be left-handed or right-handed. He’s not a ambidextrous person either. He draws with the hands of god.
Carolinapearl 6 years ago
Without a doubt, you are a amazing, talented beyond belief, professional.
Parmeisan 6 years ago
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?!
You May Like 69 Famous Portrait Paintings That Bear Historical Importance 44 Famous Still-Life Paintings That Convey The Beauty Of Everyday Objects 48 Famous Watercolor Paintings By The Masters Of The Medium
Saimonas Lukošius
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Larysa Perih
Related on Bored Panda
