February 28, 2019
A viral campaign to gain recognition for a Nigerian artist took just two days to reach its intended target.
Comedian and North Philadelphia native Kevin Hart is now going to purchase his own likeness from the aspiring fan.
On Monday, Eli Waduba, an artist based in Kaduna, Nigeria, shared a picture on Twitter of his pencil drawing of Kevin Hart.
My name is Eli Waduba Yusuf
— Eli Waduba (@EWaduba) February 25, 2019
Am a Nigerian, based in kaduna. Am a hyperrealism PENCIL Artist, I hope to become like @Harinzeyart. Please Retweet, let @KevinHart4real see it, thank you pic.twitter.com/oYYUQxbK5e
Waduba hopes that he can see his career blossom like that of fellow Nigerian artist Arinze Stanley, whose work is at the forefront of a hyper-realist movement characterized by near-photographic detail in drawings and paintings.
It took Hart just two days to see the portrait and decide he wanted to buy it. Not only that, but Hart is commissioning Waduba, 26, to draw three of his celebrity friends for gifts.
I see it and I want to purchase it...I also want to support you and your amazing talent by giving you a fee to do a pencil drawing of 3 of my celebrity friends that I can gift it to. DM your info and let’s get to work! https://t.co/ImOYa0UNlL
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) February 27, 2019
"I hoped he would see it and actually believed he would see it someday," Waduba told CNN. "But I did not know it would happen so fast."
Waduba, who has been drawing since he was 9, works full-time as an artist since graduating from Kaduna State Polytechnic with a degree in Cooperative Economics and Management.
