Ballpoint pen. To many, it reminds us of school days, drawing sketches on the sides of our notebooks. Therefore, the ballpoint pen doesn't seem like the "weapon of choice" for great artists. But don't trust the pen's seemingly shabby appearance, for it's a great tool for art in the right hands.

Oscar Ukonu (A.K.A. Oscar Chuks) has the type of skill to unlock the true power of blue. He's been doing realistic pen drawings for over 5 years, and he belongs among the greats of pen artists. He specializes in extremely detailed portraits which seem like photos passed through a blue filter rather than mere drawings. He uses his drawings as powerful pieces of social critique, as well as portraying influential people of Africa and pop culture icons. In other words, he puts his skills to good use.

His work has gained loads of fans over the years, and his Instagram is booming with almost 75k followers. His works have been exhibited in many galleries, and you can buy prints of the works you see here on his website linked below. Want to see more ballpoint pen art? You can check out the works of another Nigerian artist L. Tamaraemi, or a Brazilian G. Vinicius, or A. Caseiro, and last but not least, Samuel Silva.

More info: Facebook | Instagram | twitter.com | oscarukonu.com