It can take years for some artists to hone their artistic skills, especially when learning to master a refined skill such as a hyperrealistic art. But an 11-year-old boy by the name of Kareem Waris Olamilekan seems to have been born with a gift that is truly mind-blowing. Kareem is also known as Waspa, and he’s from Lagos, Nigeria. But his paintings are so life-like that they’re garnering a lot of attention from all over the world. This incredible child calls himself a “bitty artist” who would like to see his artwork displayed in a museum in the future. Meanwhile, he’s learning how to fine-tune his artistic skill at Ayowole Academy of Arts and his hyperrealistic pencil work will truly blow you away.This artistic skill isn’t new. Kareem has been drawing since he was six years old, and you’ll find that the subjects he uses to draw are often portraits of people. He also likes to draw portraits of his friends as well.
Kareem says that his hyperrealistic art is inspired by the world around him and everything that happens in it. He also draws things that relate to his family. But he also enjoys drawing cartoons, comics, and illustrations from newspapers or textbooks.
His attention to details is a gift that is quite rare for someone who is only an 11-year-old. He’s also inspired by Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley, who also draws hyperrealistic artwork.
This artistic prodigy relies on simple tools to bring these art pieces to life. With the use of a pencil, he can take hyperrealism to a whole new level. But he’s also not shy about trying other mediums like paint, pastel, or a ball point pen.
He has found more diverse surfaces to create his artwork, and these include faces and walls as well. But when you look at a face like this, you can see something, particularly in the eyes. Somehow, Kareem has managed to capture the soul of this individual and recreate it in his artwork.
His family has had to endure a lot of financial issues, so buying even the most basic artistic supplies hasn’t always been easy, but Kareem has overcome this obstacle and continued to perfect his self-taught skill.
Adewole has plenty of faith in the young student’s artistic skills and believes that Kareem has the ability to go farther than anyone. Adewole even told Kareem not to think of himself as a simple roadside artist and to see himself as a master artist like Leonardo da Vinci.
His Instagram alone has 41.7 thousand followers and that number is bound to grow. But his success wasn’t an easy thing to acquire. In fact, he recalls how he would find a way to secretly buy 20 sheets of paper whenever his mom would send him out to buy food for the family.
Unfortunately, his home didn’t have any electricity, and he initially didn’t want his mother finding out that he had spent money on paper. So, he would use a flashlight in order to see while he drew secretly in the middle of the night.
When he was eight, he and his family relocated to a new home, and that’s when he discovered the academy he would end up attending. He had seen one of the artists from the institute draw a composition of a headphone and a kettle, and he asked if he could join.
He was invited to join the academy and he has been drawing professionally ever since. But he admits that sometimes, his teacher at the academy and his parents are responsible for giving him the money for materials. But on occasion, they can’t afford to help him when he needs help to work on a project.
This particular drawing is called “Daily Bread” and was inspired by the struggle his family has endured to find food. In the photo, you see a child feeding himself a spoon full of sweat and tears, which reflect how hard his family works to feed everyone.
He also feels that the Nigerian government should do more to help children who have amazing talents like he does. He believes that if the government supported and trained these individuals, then his country would be able to produce some more amazingly talented individuals.
As an artist who learned by watching others draw, he has every intention to share the beauty as well as the struggles of the people living in Lagos, Nigeria. In the end, the boy has shown off his skills with a lot of humility.
It’s true that some kids his age would probably want to play football or soccer, but Kareem would much rather concentrate on his art. For him, drawing is a passion, as well as a game, and a hobby, and he loves the attention he has received thus far.
The young boy gets to participate in artistic commissions provided to him by the academy. He was even allowed to paint sections of the Marshall School Wall in Magboro, Ogun State, Nigeria, and he also drew a portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron. Now that’s one stunning young artist!
