Jeffrey Appiatu Captures Every Emotion You Can Imagine in Charcoal

Jeffrey Appiatu, a self-taught artist from Ghana, is taking the internet by storm with his hyperrealistic pencil drawings.

Born in Ghana, Jeffrey began drawing cartoon characters when he was only five years old. He became interested in hyperrealism when he was 15 and has been working on it ever since.

In 2019, Jeffrey Appiatu was featured on BET-Air and nominated for Pulse Ghana’s Arts Influencer of the Year in 2021.

In his work, Jeffrey uses charcoal to capture every bit of emotion his subjects are showing—whether it’s sadness, neutrality, or happiness—which strikes a connection with viewers as they try to decide if it’s a photograph or a drawing. He draws inspiration from music, his observations of everyday life, and the experiences he has had in his own personal journey.

Using charcoal on paper, Jeffrey’s attention to detail captures every bit of emotion his subjects are showing which strikes a connection with the viewer. From the sad expression to neutral to happy, the charcoal drawings by Jeffrey always catch the viewer’s attention to question if it is indeed a drawing or a photograph.

Artistically, Jeffrey’s work is stunning. His ability to capture such realistic nuance in his drawings is nothing short of awe-inspiring. But perhaps most incredible is the fact that he learned most of what he knows on his own and has achieved such a level of mastery without the benefit of art education. With the right guidance and direction, there might be no limit to what Jeffrey might accomplish with his talent. Certainly, there are few artists today who have made as big an impact on social media or have as much potential to become a star in the art world.