Realistic Portraits by Melissa Cooke

Fantastic hyper-realistic illustrations by American artist Melissa Cooke.

“Specializing in graphite on paper, her work investigates the relationship between photography, performance and drawing in portraiture.

Cooke’s drawings are made by dusting thin layers of graphite onto paper with a dry brush. The softness of the graphite provides a smooth surface that can be augmented by erasing in details and textures. No pencils are used in the work, allowing the surface to glow without the shine of heavy pencil marks. Illusion dissolves into brush work and the honesty of the material.”

More illustrations via We and The Color