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Artist Investigated By Trading Standards Because His Drawings Were Too Good

Artist Investigated By Trading Standards Because His Drawings Were Too Good

Someone thought he was using an app

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

An artist was reported to Trading Standards because his photo-realistic drawings were so good people thought they were done using an app.

Pro artist John Fisher, 36, actually had two inspectors visit his house to question him about whether or not his amazing drawings are real.

An anonymous source reported the poor fella, claiming he was 'scamming' people by using an app to produce his work, including portraits and landscapes. What sort of absolute grass would do that?

But John, from Ayr, South Ayrshire, showed the officers examples of his photo-realistic artwork and it didn't take long to convince them that his talent was genuine.

John draws celebrities as well as pets and people - here's Marvel legend Stan Lee.
SWNS

John said: "They said they had a complaint about my artwork and said they'd been told it's not pencil and that I was using an app and trying to scam people.

"I invited them inside and showed them sketches and even rubbed some bits out to show them it was real pencil.

"I asked if there was anything else I could show them but they said it was pretty black and white it was pencil drawings."

SWNS

Even though he quickly proved his art was real, John is worried that the report could have affected his business, which he runs from his attic after quitting his job as a chef two years ago.

A row broke out recently on a Facebook page when a woman accused John of creating his images digitally.

She eventually backed down when he sent her a video of himself using an eraser, and he posts pictures of his works in progress online to demonstrate his skills.

John said: "It's always a bit of an annoyance that someone would go to that length without doing a bit of homework first.

"People should at least back up what they're saying because that sort of thing could cost me business."

SWNS

John explained: "They didn't name any app specifically.

"The complaint was that the person thinks that the drawings are faked, or created digitally using an app.

"I showed them the work and said, 'What sort of app creates that?'

"There was never anything specific - I think they were looking along the lines of how you can put a pencil filter over a photo to make it look like a drawing."

John said: "I know I'm doing something right when people are doubting it's a drawing."

SWNS

John is now selling his works across the UK and has more than 2,000 social media followers.

Horses, dogs and family portraits are the most popular things he is asked to draw, he said, and he has also been in contact with celebrities.

Earlier this year he got in touch with actor and producer Emma Fyffe, who he offered to draw for free.

She agreed and John sent the copy of the black and white portrait to the American's auntie, as a gift from Fyffe herself.

John, who draws from photographs, said his works can take him between hours to days to complete. He said: "I can't draw from life, people would be sitting for days - it'd be impossible."

You can find more of John's work here.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: UK News, Awesome