Nope, This Is NOT a Black and White Photograph

Paul Lung requires nothing but a 0.5 mm technical graphite pencil, plus one sheet of A2 paper to create a nearly perfectly hand drawn facsimile of a photograph. The 38-year-old graphic designer of Hong Kong spends up to 60 hours on each labor intensive drawing.

Self Portrait of the artist

Lung likely has inherent skill, and probably spent a good chunk of his life enjoying (re: practicing) the craft of drawing.

But, believe it or not, in my opinion, essentially anyone can learn to draw. For some, it may require a lot more practice (and patience). It's all about technique, learning to "see" (transfer of the eye's perception to the hand), hard work and tricks of the trade. (If you're interested in the concept of born talent v. acquired skill, check out these two books:1, 2).

Let's get started. To begin acquiring such fine skills as Lung's, you will need:

• 0.5 mm technical graphite pencil (why not, let's do it Lung's way)
• one sheet of A2 paper
• tips and tricks of the trade
• hard work and practice!

Loving Lung's tiger? Check out Lisandro Pena's extensive animal drawing HowTo's.

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