July 11, 2024
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That “UN/LA” drawing took the internet by storm as Nour Shoukry- a 22 year old, self-taught artist, specializing in colored pencils and oil paint- dropped an intricate, hyper-realistic portrait of a Nike shoe.
It’s easy to recognize a painting made by Nour.
Perhaps, it’s her recognizable aesthetic, choice of subjects, stemming from her vehemence for pop culture & streetwear fashion, or even her composition, backed up by her degree in graphic design.
Find out a little more about Nour’s process and take on art, and while you’re here, be sure to shop her art via her website!
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Nour, how did your passion for the arts show up in your childhood?
After years of not being interested in art at all, my dad decided it was time and took me to “Alwan” (Zamalek branch)
and had me pick out ‘shantet rasm’; he says I stayed up that night painting and coloring.
I believe it was that day that I fell in love with art.
How did you develop your skillset?
By practicing literally every single day, at any given moment.
Whenever I was bored, I would always find myself gravitating towards my art tools and, well, I would just create.
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What is it that hyperrealism taught you?
It taught me so much about texture and material.
Also, attention to detail is super important, and the more you prioritize that, the more the drawing ends up looking realistic and photo-like.
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What are the most prominent sensations that the process of making art evokes within you?
The process itself is just so fun to me.
Each step of the is super exciting and motivating. The beginning is always fun. the sketching, picking out the color palette and buying required art supplies.
All this makes me so excited to get started and create.
I don’t mind spending hours and hours on one piece. I also love seeing everything come together in the final stages of creating.
I love just reflecting and looking back on how it started off and compare it to how it looks at the end.
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Do you ever feel insecure about the art you make?
I’ve become pretty secure about the way I feel towards my art and skill.
What troubles me sometimes, though, is if my time and effort will be appreciated and noticed by my audience.
The art world is competitive and hard to grow in, especially on social media. so not having enough engagement on a post or reel really does demotivate me sometimes, but I always try to distract myself from those thoughts and remember why I started in the first place.
It never had to do with traction and statistics. I try to always think of my vision, and appreciate the amount of supporters
I currently have.
That’s what keeps me going.
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Why pencils & oil paint?
Since childhood, my fascination with graphite and colored pencils has been unwavering, driving me to specialize in this medium and devote myself entirely to it. Recently, I've discovered a newfound passion for oil painting, a surprising departure from my hyperrealistic pencil work. This shift stems from my desire to explore art in its entirety and unlock my full potential…
It was a bit scary at first, branching out from what I knew best, but I just had this itch to experiment and push my boundaries.
A common misconception about streetwear is that it’s such a mainstream form of fashion, but i believe it takes a lot to pull it off.
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Does your social media presence push you towards making better art, or alternatively, put unnecessary pressure on you?
Both honestly.
Sometimes it’s a bit too overwhelming watching other artists move a bit quicker or do cool stuff, but most of the time it actually motivates me more than puts me off.
For Oil Paint Inspiration, I check out @occassionallyipaint
For Colored Pencil Inspiration, I check out @cj_hendry