Source: ハンカチ Hankachi (@koutyakizoku) - image used with permission

Japanese artist stuns Twitter with dramatic growth in skill since middle school

It's not uncommon for skilled artists to already show signs of their genius from an early age. However, for Japanese artist ハンカチ Hankachi (@koutyakizoku), their work was already astonishing as as student.

Consider this drawing he completed in middle school:

Reproduced with permission from ハンカチ Hankachi (@koutyakizoku)

In a style he excelled at in his early years, they drew only in black lines, creating intricate near-future cityscapes with effective use of perspective lines. In this drawing, staircases, ducts, arches, bridges, and various other architectural and infrastructure elements are included, revealing Hankachi's sense of world-building already at such as young age. The futuristic clock tower and other towers in the background add interest to the scene.

When Hankachi Tweeted this drawing, in juxtaposition to their current work, it quickly went viral, garnering over 140,000 likes and 11,600 retweets at the time of writing.

People weren't only surprised at how good they were as a student, but at how they became even more skilled later in life.

This is the second illustration he posted in the Tweet:

Reproduced with permission from ハンカチ Hankachi (@koutyakizoku)

The photo-realistic painting represents the area near Osaka Station and shows a very high level of skill. From the complex architectural forms to the street, with cars and trucks in all their detail, trees, and more, and the way the light hits the scene and reflects on the glass panels of the buildings, it's an impressive piece of work.