Kareem Waris Olamilekan is an 11 year-old artist from Lagos, Nigeria who is already getting international attention for his amazing art skills.

Kareem has even garnered praise from French President Emmanual Macron, who was stunned when he saw the incredibly lifelike painting the boy made of him in just two hours.

Kareem, who is known by the nickname Waspa or “the bitty artist,” was invited to sketch Macron during his recent trip to Nigeria. The painting that he made of him quickly went viral, causing people all over the world to look up more of his work.

The amazing artist began drawing in school when he was six, and it was immediately clear that he was a child prodigy. Kareem “went pro” just two years later, and he has been sharing his art with the world ever since!

Kareem prefers to use pencils and charcoal in his work, and he likes getting inspired by things and people that he sees around him. On top of that, Kareem likes to sketch comic books and cartoons to keep his young friends entertained.

His major art inspirations are Nigerian artist Arinze, who is known for his realistic work, and the legendary Michelangelo, who Kareem is already being compared to!

Though Kareem still lives and draws in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lagos, his teachers believe he can go far in life.

“He can go far, farther than even beyond our expectations because I believe with what he has been doing, he’s going somewhere greater,” said Adeniyi Adewole, the director of Waspa’s art school. “We used to tell him don’t see yourself like a roadside artist. Believe you can have a name like Michelangelo, like [Leonardo] da Vinci.”

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