Eakin creates his detailed and incredibly realistic pictures by referencing photographs. He mostly uses charcoal and graphite in his drawings, sometimes adding tiny bits of white paint for special highlights. He hopes to try color hyperrealism someday.
Photorealism is when an artist looks at a photo and tries to make a copy of it that looks real in a different way.
Eaking shared that on average, it takes about 100 hours for him to complete each of his artworks, with one piece even demanding 205 hours of his time.
"I enjoy long-winded, detail-oriented projects. I have a very singular mindset, and my work gives me a chance to have a purely meditative experience while I'm focusing on trivial, minute details," Eaking told us.
"Photorealism is the perfect vessel for relaxing the mind. Even without my imagery, the genre itself fulfills my needs as a creator. I can be very flexible with the types of pictures I choose to draw because the images have never been my priority. I seek out challenging textures and compositions to keep myself engaged, but the process itself inspires me."
