Artist feels like pencil is an extension of his arm

Tampa artist uses pencils to create works of art

Marc Brechwald spends 20?90 hours drawing photo-realistic pencil art.

TAMPA - When visitors pass by the studio of Marc Brechwald, many times they assume he's a photographer.

"I'm like, a pencil artist," he said with a smile.

The reason visitors think photographs is that much of Brechwald's work looks like realistic black and white photos.

What they're saying:

"They have to get close up, because they almost don't believe it's a pencil drawing," Brechwald said. "A lot of times, people are curious as to what takes longer and why did this one take you like 90 hours versus this one that took you only 30 hours, and so it allows me to kind of talk about the process and what goes into creating a photorealistic pencil drawing. It's a great way to start out a conversation."

Brechwald uses only pencil, but a variety of pencil sizes. He also says erasing is just as important as drawing when it comes to his craft. Most of the time, he begins a new piece with the eyes.

"You have to get the eyes right. If I can't get the eyes to work, then the rest of it's not going to look right," Brechwald said. "The old cliché the eyes are the window to the soul. You know there's obviously some truth in that."

READ: James Van Der Beek makes surprise virtual appearance at 'Dawson's Creek' reunion

What's next:

Brechwald has been drawing for as long as he can remember, mainly drawn to people. He calls them the most fascinating subject. 

After creating art as a hobby for most of his life, he decided to take the plunge to become a full-time professional artist in 2020. 

Like many others, the early COVID-period caused him to think about his career going forward.

Brechwald is currently working on a new collection titled "My Mother's Hands." He had the idea to photograph his mother's hands holding various objects, choosing five or six to create pencil pieces. 

"Drawing from a technical aspect, it's incredibly fun to watch that develop. There's spots, there's creases, there's wrinkles, there's veins, there's all sorts of things going on. I view it as a really fun challenge from a photorealistic pencil artist's perspective," Brechwald said. "Then there's obviously the emotional aspect behind it. It's memories that come back, both recent and old, of my mom."

What's next:

When he finishes, Brechwald hopes to find a space to share the collection. 

"I wanted to have that emotional connection to these pieces, to this series, because I'm hoping then, when people see that, that will shine through," Brechwald said.

 For more information, you can visit his website.