Pencil Artist of the Week: Armin Mersmann

This week’s pencil artist may seem like an odd choice at first glance, but that is only because his graphite portraits look so natural and lifelike, it is almost impossible to discern them from an actual photograph of the individual.

Armin Mersmann, born in Remscheid, Germany in 1955 and currently residing in Midland, Michigan, creates these intense drawings using only graphite pencils. While the detail present in these drawings makes them look incredibly realistic, there is still some intangible quality that sets them apart from a simple photograph or portrait.

Armin Mersmann seems to agree, as he is quoted as saying “I find a good rendering is a drawing of what a person sees, I find a work of art is a drawing of what others don’t see.”