#nigerianhero

"Because of my inability to access quality graphite pencils and pastels to help me create photorealistic drawings, I was forced to choose the cheap ballpen which I could get from any stationary shop for as low as N20. Even though I started using ballpoint pens out of necessity, I have since been building confidence in using them for my drawings. I started combining a variety of scribbling and cross-hatching techniques, a development process I called “taming the ballpen” which enabled me to have better control of the pen and  further predict the 'slippery' behavior of this drawing tool." Part 2/5 Oscar UKONU, a 22 year old  ballpen-skilled artist working in the genre of Photorealism. https://m.facebook.com/oscarchuks.arts/ #Nigeria #Nigerian #NigerianHero #nigerianheroes #nigerianart #africarising #africa #puretalent #destiny #art #artist #architecture #first #nigeriarising #inspire #believe #Photorealism #photooftheday #oscarukonu #like #like4like #likeforlike #followforfollow #follow4follow #shareandcare #careandshare

#Nigeria #Nigerian #NigerianHero #nigerianheroes #nigerianart #africarising #africa #puretalent #destiny #art #artist #architecture #first #nigeriarising #inspire #believe #Photorealism #photooftheday #oscarukonu #like #like4like #likeforlike #followforfollow #follow4follow #shareandcare #careandshare

Comment on yesterday’s post on NigerianHeroes about Cheer Agba

"Abubakar Goni and his little brother Mustapha come here daily in search of food. They get Lessons as well. Interestingly, they both can now identify all twenty six (26) letters of the English language. I am thrilled at the pace of their improvement and can bet with the trigger of my weapon, if I am still here and the bullet does not take me, they'll be reading news papers in no distant time." Cheer Agba, Soldier of the Nigerian Army fighting Boko Haram in Borno State for the last three years.

"Sometimes you just have to make use of what life throws at you. There was a time I was planning to start a company that would deal with art related events such as hosting of exhibitions and co. But I did not really know how to get started. One day I came across a brilliant artist(painter/photo realist) called Oscar Ukonu on Facebook and sent him a message. I was really impressed by his talent but he didn't reply me the First time. So I sent another message asking for his mobile number and to my surprise, he sent it to me. During our first phone conversation we found out that we would both be in Lagos the following week and so we set up a meeting. I told him about my intentions of starting a company and told him I would love to grow with him as his manager. And guess what, he agreed. Today I am managing a brilliant artist and a good friend of mine."

“It is not like it was a new year’s resolution but I basically just woke up to be a vegetarian on first January 2011. And there is one question people keep asking me ever since: No meat, what do you eat? Let me tell you that I eat everything, rice, beans, corn yes even egusi, only that I don’t add meat or fish in it - and it tastes delicious.  True, people around me think that I am weird and being a vegetarian made me to lose some of friends. But I never regretted my decision. I love living a healthy and environmental friendly lifestyle. And even though my mother is concerned that I might not find a wife being a vegetarian, I am not worried. I live my life with a positive attitude and believe in peace, love and happiness. “

Today the people who used to laugh at me when I started are the ones coming to me begging for a loan. And that shows me that I made the right decision pursuing my dream. For the future I intend to improve on my skills, broaden my styles and expand my business. And hopefully one day I will get the opportunity to train people who want to be useful to themselves and their families too.”

My life however was different. For some reasons there was a drive deep inside my heart that always kept me moving forward and kept me from making bad choices. I thank God for giving me the power and courage to help myself. So far I have worked for a construction company, at a car wash, in a dry cleaners shop and I was a painter too. This is how I was able to pay for my education and today I am a proud to call myself a student of civil engineering.”