This is not a photo! It is rather a carefully and patiently done pencil drawing. The image is one of several works of mine in a genre of art called Hyperrealism. For those that aren't familiar with the term, let me walk you through it a little bit.

What is Hyperrealism?

Wikipedia - Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph.

I would say it is a form of art aimed at a perfect rendering of a model or reference photo, carefully studying the effect of light and paying attention to every last detail. Artists in this line of art are usually called Hyperrealists. It takes a lot of patience, practice and time to do such art, in fact I always say to inquisitors about this kind art "the better you get, the more time you spend" and vice versa. I spend up to 20, 30, 50 hours or more on each drawing depending on the reference photo and drawing size. Of course it can be achieved with so many media; pencils, paints, clay and many more.

Over the years I have mastered and I'm currently still practicing the pencil technique. I have always loved pencils, especially the fact that they are very easy to control and are very precise when drawing. I mostly draw with Steadtler graphite pencils and Generals charcoal pencils on white paper, most preferably acid free cartridge paper.

However to achieve such realistic drawings, I use many other materials with many different functions. Let me make a short list indicating some of them and their functions.

Q-tips(cotton buds)
It may sound funny but cotton buds are one of my favorite drawing materials. I use them to blend while shading to achieve very smooth textures and also to apply graphite and charcoal powder to my drawings.
Brushes
Brushes are also very good for blending and achieving very smooth textures while drawing, They are not as easy to control as cotton buds so I mostly use them to blend larger areas like the backgrounds of my drawings.
Tortillons or Blending Stomps
Tortillons look like pencils, but are mostly made from paper. They have sharp mouths good for smoothening very tiny areas in drawing. They are also generally the best for blending while using charcoal pencils
Graphite and Charcoal powder
These are very useful for achieving very smooth tones and quickly covering larger areas while shading. They ease up the stress and time taken to shade with pencils.
Kneaded rubber eraser and pencil erasers
Kneaded rubber erasers are moldable and can take any form you want. They are useful for gently removing layers of pencil from your drawings, creating highlights without removing the whole shading. Pencil erasers on the other hand look like pencils but have erasers as the lead. They are very easy to control and very good for highlighting while drawing hair.

I will also like to share with you progress shots I took while doing this drawing in case you're inquisitive and to clear any doubts.

Progress shot 1; The face and neck

Progress shot 2; The African head gear

Progress shot 3; Started working on the laced cloth

Progress shot 4; More work on the lace

Progress shot 5: Completed the laced cloth and jewelry

The final shot; I decided to add a background with charcoal.

Summary

Title: African Woman
Size: 16x12 inches
Medium: graphite and charcoal pencils on white paper
Duration: 30+ hours

So there it is, Hyperrealism is real and achievable. You can do it! yes you! Just like any other thing in life, you just have to work hard at it with consistent practice and be determined. I'm not the best and I learn everyday too, but I may be able to help you by giving you some tips. Kindly indicate it if you would like me to post some tutorials on Hyperrealism here.

Thanks for reading this, I'm new here so your upvotes, resteems and comments would be much appreciated. Thanks again.
Hive account@slothicorn Hive account@artzone Hive account@lovejuice