HERVE ISHIMWE MURANGWA, 23, also known by his artist name Hartis_pencil has found his niche in drawing by using graphite and charcoal pencil.

Living with an uncle who knew how to draw inspired him to start drawing at the age of seven and fuelled his passion for art. He said that at the time, he wasn’t an artist yet. He officially became one in 2016 when he discovered his talent and strived to work hard and rise like his fellow artists. This was after completing secondary school.

Herve disclosed that he became his motivation because he wanted to level up and was confident that he would make it happen, considering that his type of art that was getting more popular at the time.

He said that he didn’t attend any school, adding that what he did to make headway was to work hard and watch art videos.

Tackling how long it takes him to finalise artwork, he shares that it depends on its size and type.

"If the artwork is for advertising, it takes me about a month or two, but if it’s the work of a single client, it depends on the time we agree on. The shortest time I worked for a client was two days,” he said.

He declared that art has helped him both emotionally and mentally because he gains pleasure and knowledge while drawing and has become eager to learn and objective-driven due to it.

Through selling his art, Herve has been able to buy himself different materials he needed and can now pay rent and save some money.

He has exhibited his works in Made in Rwanda Expo 2018 and 2019 and is planning to join many exhibitions as the number of his artworks rises. He showcases and sells his art online when clients order for artworks. According to him, they are aware that he delivers their orders on time with desired quality.

Tackling his challenges, Herve said that there is no market for art supplies in Rwanda, revealing that most artists buy materials online which makes them expensive and delays their delivery to Rwanda.

Another challenge, he continued, is that in Rwanda, most people don’t value art even though there has been an improvement. Also, art is not advertised as it should, he added.

Some of Hertis_pencil’s notable artworks are the drawings of celebrities like Sherrie Silver, Kate Bashabe, and Irene Murindahabi.

He strives to become an international Rwandan artist and establish an art gallery where he will be able to provide art courses to young children.

For more information, you can find him on Instagram @hartis_pencil or contact him on 0780463326.