By HENG WEI ANN
alltherage@thestar.com.my
IN our age of super high-tech smartphone cameras, almost anyone can take high-quality photos. Monica Lee, however, chooses a more unorthodox method of capturing every tiny detail of an image – by drawing it.
Lee is an artist who enjoys doing hyperrealism, a genre which is all about drawing pieces with so much detail that they look like photographs.
She only started dabbling in hyperrealism earlier this year, but the work she has published online has already earned her quite a following. She has close to 45,000 followers on social media, where she posts updates on her pieces, which, naturally, tend to take quite a while to complete.
Lee’s Instagram account has close to 30,000 followers, and she gets advice and encouragement from fellow artists around the world through the social media platform.
On top of that, she has been featured on sites like the Huffington Post, Gizmodo and iGNANT, doing us Malaysians proud.
“Hyperrealism is becoming really popular around the world now, but I’m not really sure why,” she said modestly, trying to explain her sudden success.
Lee used to work for a graphic design company doing digital imaging work, which takes a keen eye for detail. “Maybe that’s why I can do hyperrealism!” she said with a laugh.
But the attention to detail required on the job was so immense that Lee started to experience health complications, which forced her to take some time off. And that’s when she decided to do some hyperrealism, just for fun.
“I love drawing. I enjoyed digital work too, but nothing beats getting your hands dirty with a pencil and paper, and having that sense of satisfaction when you finally finish a piece,” she said.
Drawing inspiration from fellow hyperrealists such as Dirk Dzimirsky and Paul Cadden, Lee mostly uses graphite pencils, occasionally teaming them with colour pencils for coloured pieces.
“Portraits are my go-to subjects because I find people very interesting to draw. The true challenge is to get the character of the model in the drawing, which is captured mostly in the eyes.”
Lee credits her father, a professional photographer in the advertising industry, for inculcating a love for visual arts in her as a child.
“When I was younger, I used to go to photography studios and look at all the photobooks, and that helped me develop my art sense.
“But my father, the photographer, complains that I put too much detail in my drawings! He says photos never have that level of detail, and that I’m adding details that aren’t even there,” she added with a laugh.
Though her life and upbringing seem to revolve around art, it wasn’t always that way. She said said the only time she had thought about being an artist was in primary school, when all her classmates were talking about being doctors and lawyers.
That dream got sidetracked when she went to secondary school, where she picked the science stream and went on to do a foundation year in pharmacy. But it soon became apparent that she was meant to do something related to the arts, so she ditched pharmacy and took up 3D imaging at The One Academy, where she picked up some basic drawing skills.
“Ironically, I hated drawing portraits when I was in university!” said Lee.
Today, Lee continues to hone her skills by connecting with artists from around the world through social media.
“I’ve learned so many new techniques from people who’ve left comments and video tutorials on my Facebook page. I discovered methods like grid drawing, and creating indentations on the paper to get those fine white lines when you’re drawing the subject’s hair,” she said.
Lee posts photos of her works in progress on Facebook and Instagram, where she has built a strong following. This photo from her Facebook page shows some of the tools she uses, which are pretty basic.
The exposure her work has received thanks to social media has also been invaluable, especially in Malaysia, where Lee believes abstract art is still much more popular.
“Without social media, I would have to bring my portfolio around to galleries, who usually won’t be interested in artists who aren’t famous.
“But there is a lot of hidden talent in Malaysia. We just need some help and support from the public to continue developing them,” said Lee.
Luckily for Lee, the support has been forthcoming. Her fans have commissioned her to do personal portraits, and she also recently got her first commercial commission from a fashion magazine.
Despite the overwhelming feedback to her work, Lee remains humble: “I still have a long way to go before I would call myself a true hyperrealist artist.
One of Lee’s completed pieces. The detail in the beard – and generally any kind of hair – is particularly hard to create.
“The individual strokes on my drawings are still quite visible, which is something I have to work on. But most important, I need to learn how to display emotion in my drawings.”
To check out Lee’s amazing drawings, go to her Facebook page (facebook.com/monicaleeart) or Instagram account (@zephyrxavier). Prepare to have your mind blown!
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