Meet Kareen Waris Olamilekan (also known as Waspa), an 11-year-old artist from Lagos, Nigeria, who is quickly gaining international recognition for his life-like drawings. This talented young man is currently studying at Ayowole Academy of Arts, calls himself a “bitty artist”, and dreams about seeing his works in a museum someday.
Olamilekan has been drawing since the age of 6, and the main subject of his hyperrealistic works is usually portraits, although he sometimes goes beyond them, too. “I draw my friends. I draw cartoons, comics. I draw illustrations from textbooks and newspapers,” Olamilekan told BBC. “I draw hyperrealistic pencil works.”
Every drawing that Kareen creates stuns us with the details that are not something very common for an 11-year-old. Kareen says that his inspiration comes from everything that’s happening around him, especially his family, but also he reflects a lot on two of his artistic idols – Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley, who also specializes in hyperrealism, and Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo.
The most famous artwork that Olamilekan created is called “Daily Bread” – it depicts a person eating in sweat and tears. “My family, we work hard before we put food in our mouths, before we eat,” explains Kareen. “That’s what inspires me.”
Scroll down to see these incredible Olamilekan’s works for yourself.
More info: Instagram
This is Kareen Waris Olamilekan, an 11-year-old artist from Lagos, Nigeria
He's quickly gaining international recognition for his life-like drawings
This talented young man is currently studying at Ayowole Academy of Arts
He calls himself a “bitty artist”, and dreams about seeing his works in a museum someday
Olamilekan has been drawing since the age of 6
The main subject of his hyperrealistic works is usually portraits, although he sometimes goes beyond them, too
“I draw my friends. I draw cartoons, comics. I draw illustrations from textbooks and newspapers”
Every drawing that Kareen creates stuns people with the details that are not very common for an 11-year-old
Kareen says that his inspiration comes from everything that’s happening around him, especially his family
He also reflects a lot on two of his artistic idols – Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley and Italian master Michelangelo
The most famous artwork that Olamilekan created is called “Daily Bread”
It depicts a person eating in sweat and tears
"My family, we work hard before we put food in our mouths, before we eat,” explains Kareen
“That’s what inspires me”
Although Kareen is using social media for not that long
He's already counting almost 38k followers on Instagram who are stunned by his artworks
What a talented young man!
