Family portrait by ArtistKelle in Abuja

Isaac Ekele is a Nigerian artist known as Kelle Frederick (Artist Kelle). He began drawing at the age of nine and focused on comics and cartoons. He became interested in painting people as a child, utilizing hard copy photographs as his source of inspiration. His pictures were created with his hb and 2b pencils. He learned the art of using graphite pencils at the age of 17, and his path into realistic drawing began. He worked hard to improve his drawing skills and ensured that his most recent works were more realistic than the previous ones. "I make use of charcoal pencils and graphite to achieve my portraits on paper" says Isaac. Around the same time, he received his first commission, after which he began to receive more. During the COVID-19 shutdown in 2022, he became a full-time artist, earning money from commissioned drawings. His clients came from all over the world, including Miami, New York, and other cities. He got inspired to make personal work based on what's going on in his environment, and he also draws his feelings. "Life situations can inspire someone to create something new" says Isaac To create his hyperrealistic drawings, he uses charcoal pencils, graphite pencils, and soft blending brushes. He begins by grinding his reference photo, then measuring the grids in inches for precision on his paper size. He creates layers with lighter and darker colours. Isaac is yet to attend an exhibition, although he plans to do so soon. Apart from being super realistic, he wants his drawings to tell a story and have meaning. The artist says that he is striving to be the best he can be.