Getty Mac Miller performs.
Mac Miller, the 26-year-old rapper who was found dead at his San Fernando Valley home earlier this year, was drawn in a portrait that is so life-like and realistic, fans couldn’t believe that it wasn’t an actual photo.
The artist, 20-year-old Danielle Franks, who goes by Moe on Twitter, told TMZ that the drawing took her just over a month to complete using Cintiq 13HD on her iPad, which is basically a pressure-sensitive stylus. Franks hails from Cornwall, England, and tweeted the drawing on Tuesday, which quickly went viral, garnering over half a million views and over 100 thousand retweets.
“Finished drawing of @MacMiller,” she wrote on Twitter. “RIP.”
finished drawing of @MacMiller. RIP 🖤
The photo she re-drew was originally snapped by Todd Cole for the August issue of The Fader. Moe said one of her followers on Twitter simply asked her to draw it, so she did.
Miller, whose real name is Malcolm James McCormick, was found dead in his California home on Sept. 7 after he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol. Miller was open about his issues with addiction and substance abuse in the past. He told Rolling Stone that his breakup with ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande was difficult and he struggled significantly with drug abuse at the time.
Moe told TMZ that she was incredibly close to shutting down her website before her drawing of Miller went viral. Moe said that she was struggling to sell her art, but now that the drawing was received so well, her business is now doing so well that she plans to donate all proceeds from the Miller drawing to the late rapper’s foundation The Mac Miller Circles Fund.
She is selling prints of the piece – printed on silk paper – for close to $40. According to TMZ, celebrities like Willow Smith have taken notice of her skills and have expressed interest in working with her.
Moe’s post was flooded with astonished comments from users who couldn’t believe that her drawing wasn’t photoshopped. Most comments were positive, and complimented Moe on her “unbelievable” skills and talent.
“Absolutely unbelievable drawing. Talented is understated,” one user wrote, while another said: “Shit absolutely blows my mind that this a drawing. Incredible piece.”
Another wrote: “Stop…. That is not a drawing, no, I’m not having it, that is absolutely awesome, it’s perfect, I’m completely jealous that I can’t do that.”
However, Moe quickly shut down those who refused to believe she didn’t photoshop the photo by posting pictures of her work in progress. “Also, b4 you all call hacks and photoshop filters,” she wrote above a series of progress shots of the Miller piece.
@MacMiller also b4 u all call hacks and photoshop filters xxxx
Moe’s Twitter page shot up to 34 thousand followers after her Miller drawing went viral. She has posted several other pieces of art that she’s drawn of celebrities, including David Bowie, Lil Peep and many more. She’s even had huge musicians share her work on social media, including both Post Malone & Lil Peep, who shared her work of themselves on their social media accounts over the past year.
Check out some of Moe’s work below:
1 year without peep. he was the first person to share my art and he changed my life
heres the drawing i did last year when he passed, ill draw him again soon
i miss u thank u
this was my first ever digital portrait, david bowie 30/12/2015
:)
@jaboukie hyperrealistic portraits !! t.co/dtgbnHTagS
