Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley (who we previously featured here) creates hyper-realistic charcoal and graphite portraits that could easily be mistaken for photographs.

His large-scale drawings take hundreds of hours to complete, as every detail is meticulously captured – from wrinkles, hair and sweat to reflections and veins.

Arinze began drawing at the young age of six and has perfected the art through what he calls the three P’s: Patience, Practice and Persistence.

Working purely in greyscale, Stanley likes to capture the raw emotion of his subjects, using his portraits to evoke strong feelings in his viewers, guiding them to develop a connection with his subject matter.

“I draw inspiration from life experiences and basically everything that sparks a feeling of necessity,” he explains on his website. “I find myself spending countless hours working on an artwork to stimulate deep and strong emotions in order to connect more intimately with my viewers.”

See more of his outstanding work on Instagram and his website.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

The post New Hyper-realistic Drawings By Arinze Stanley appeared first on Visi.

Joburg-based artist Nelson Makamo creates striking portraits using charcoal, acrylic, watercolour, monotype, silk screen and oil.

He studied for three years at the Artist Proof Studio in Joburg, where he focused on print making, and has exhibited across the globe, including in South Africa, France, the US, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands and Scotland.

Preferring not to plan his pieces and rather use his current state in any given moment to guide his work, Nelson predominantly finds inspiration in children from rural areas in South Africa, with the strong belief that their faces encapsulate the peace and harmony people try to achieve in daily life. He believes that it is easy as adults to lose the wide-eyed wonder and joy experienced by a child.

See more of his work on Instagram or visit nelsonmakamo.com for more information.

The post Nelson Makamo’s Portraits appeared first on Visi.

These intriguingly shaped vessels in alluring earth hues are made using recycled paper and natural fibres.

What started out as a fascination with the characteristics of paper combined with natural fibres and pigments has blossomed into artist Georgine Jacobs’ EnlightenMe home decor brand. In 2014, Georgine embarked on an 18-month artistic journey of material exploration that entailed experimenting with the combination of natural and recycled fibres, and developing techniques for creating interesting textures.

The result: eco-friendly home accent pieces that display a perfect balance between dainty and durable. Georgine colours the raw materials with plant-based dyes, pigments and oxides to make vessels dressed in pretty pastels and hues of blue, terracotta, charcoal, lime and various earth colours. Each vessel is numbered and signed.

EnlightenMe is stocked by LIM and ODEON in Cape Town, Ebony/ Curated in Franschhoek, and Kim Sacks Gallery and Studio 19 in Johannesburg. The brand has also been getting some international exposure: Africanologie showcased the vessels at Decor + Design in Melbourne, a collection was displayed at The Conran Shop Autumn Winter 2017/2018 press day in London, and Source SA Design Export took a selection to NY Now.

For more information, visit enlightenmehd.co.za.

The post EnlightenMe’s Eco-Friendly Designs appeared first on Visi.

Award-winning Switzerland-based artist Clio Newton creates unbelievably life-like charcoal portraits, some of which are over two metres tall.

The artworks, which at first glance look like black and white photographs, are in fact hyper-realistic portraits created using compressed charcoal.

As seen in the gallery above, the details of the faces, hair and bodies of each woman are intricately accurate, reminiscent of Arinze Stanley’s breathtaking graphite drawings, previously featured here.

View more of Clio’s work on Instagram and at clionewton.com.

(h/t) thisiscolossal.com

The post Clio Newton’s Charcoal Portraits appeared first on Visi.

In 2008, Ashleigh Olsen gave up her environmental science career to become a full-time wildlife artist. Her emotive drawings, paintings and photography have won her many accolades, yet she tirelessly continues with her conservation efforts. Awed by her lovely work, we sat her down.

What did you want to be as a child?

A game ranger or nature conservationist; my heroines were Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.

What did you grow up to be?

My degree was in environmental science, but after only a few years as an environmental consultant I decided to pursue a career as a professional artist.

Where do you live and why?

I moved to Simon’s Town from Uganda four years ago. I chose Simon’s Town because I had missed the ocean so much.

What do you see through your window first thing in the morning?

I live in an old Victorian house with beautiful sash windows, so I see my veggie garden and bird bath.

What inspires you?

I love to travel to wildlife areas in Africa, where I gather reference material and get inspiration for my artworks.

What makes your work special?

I feel my work conveys the magic of nature and Africa. Through my work, I try to connect people to nature and provide a space for stillness and reflection.

For more information, visit ashleigholsen.com.

The post Artists We Love: Ashleigh Olsen appeared first on Visi.

Hard rock music doesn’t pop up on our radar all that often. But we think the minimalist, handmade design of the CDs and album launch posters for Cape Town band The Great Apes deserves a mention.

I’ll have to leave the album reviews to music-oriented publications (though, for the record, let it be know that I’m a Great Apes fan) but we think it’s really cool that up-and-coming bands have the savvy to apply well thought out design to their humble efforts, and have the work ethic to produce it all by hand. That’s right – the band is only releasing a limited edition of 500 debut albums, but all the packaging has been hand printed with linocut and ink… in their garage. The boys (Yusif Sayigh, Antonie Gunther, Pienaar Du Plessis, Jacques Stemmet, and Jeakan Coetzee) opted for a handmade look and feel, not only for its cost-effectiveness, but also to align the band’s imagery with their sound.

Jeakan sourced most of the inspiration for the album’s iconography from Northern European druid-era symbolism, and then modified these symbols to create a specific icon for each of the album’s eight tracks. The result is a series of cryptic monochromatic cyphers, each one with its own minor imperfections as a result of the hand-printing process. The final result is much like the music on the album – raw, brutal, mystical, and evocative. To wrap up the album launch campaign, the band commissioned One Horse Town illustrator Simon Berndt to incorporate the album’s iconography into a poster. The band is currently on tour across the country to promote the new album, so look out for them in your town.

Once The Great Apes are back in town, you’ll be able to order albums directly form them, and shortly thereafter they should be available in selected stores. Even if you’re not into hard rock, the artwork alone makes the album worth buying. We hope to see more local bands exploring the potential of design as an additional outlet for their creativity… and marketing, of course.

For more info check out The Great Apes on Facebook.

The post Great design by The Great Apes appeared first on Visi.