Darius Chen is a pencil artist based in New York City, recognized for his hyper-detailed graphite portraits. His art captures quiet moments that reveal strength in stillness.
Working in pencil forces patience. There’s no shortcut, no hiding. Every line counts. I’m drawn to faces that tell stories — wrinkles, scars, subtle expressions that speak louder than words. My series Still Voices centers on subjects in thought, their emotions suspended in time.
I spend hours layering graphite, building tone from shadow outward. It’s meditative, almost like breathing. The closer I get to realism, the more I see abstraction — the dance of light, the grain of paper, the illusion of life from lead.
Art, to me, is about attention. When someone studies my drawings long enough to forget they’re drawings, I know I’ve done my job.
