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The price of art! Chinese artist's hyper-realistic cash drawings attract thousands online, baffles police04:10
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Shi Yunlong's artistic recreations of international banknotes have attracted thousands online and baffled local police in the city of Shenzhen.

"The drawings were quite realistic, which surprised some [people online], but another portion thought I was faking it, causing quite an impact," Shi explained.

"Later, the police came, and they were also surprised," he added. "They just advised me not to go astray, and that was it. In my view, it was also a form of recognition."

Footage filmed on Tuesday shows the artist meticulously drawing another realistic banknote. Dozens of his other masterpieces mimicking cash from around the world can also be seen in the video. Footage also shows the artist's renowned 100 US dollar bill recreation.

"When you look at the details, every line, every pattern is extremely meticulous, down to the millimetre. I really love this kind of meticulous art, so I wanted to challenge myself to draw currencies from around the world," Shi said.

"I believe banknotes are a form of art, and putting all banknotes together would create an even greater masterpiece," he continued.

Shi said he began exploring this art form after discovering another artist's page full of sketches on real dollar bills.

The 31-year-old explained that the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to exchange currencies or find a dollar bill to use in China - prompting Shi to take 'over 200 attempts to draw a Franklin'.

In the future, the artist plans to attempt to recreate more banknotes from currencies 'around the world'.

The price of art! Chinese artist's hyper-realistic cash drawings attract thousands online, baffles police

China, Shenzhen
June 12, 2024 at 11:20 GMT +00:00 · Published

Shi Yunlong's artistic recreations of international banknotes have attracted thousands online and baffled local police in the city of Shenzhen.

"The drawings were quite realistic, which surprised some [people online], but another portion thought I was faking it, causing quite an impact," Shi explained.

"Later, the police came, and they were also surprised," he added. "They just advised me not to go astray, and that was it. In my view, it was also a form of recognition."

Footage filmed on Tuesday shows the artist meticulously drawing another realistic banknote. Dozens of his other masterpieces mimicking cash from around the world can also be seen in the video. Footage also shows the artist's renowned 100 US dollar bill recreation.

"When you look at the details, every line, every pattern is extremely meticulous, down to the millimetre. I really love this kind of meticulous art, so I wanted to challenge myself to draw currencies from around the world," Shi said.

"I believe banknotes are a form of art, and putting all banknotes together would create an even greater masterpiece," he continued.

Shi said he began exploring this art form after discovering another artist's page full of sketches on real dollar bills.

The 31-year-old explained that the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to exchange currencies or find a dollar bill to use in China - prompting Shi to take 'over 200 attempts to draw a Franklin'.

In the future, the artist plans to attempt to recreate more banknotes from currencies 'around the world'.

Description

Shi Yunlong's artistic recreations of international banknotes have attracted thousands online and baffled local police in the city of Shenzhen.

"The drawings were quite realistic, which surprised some [people online], but another portion thought I was faking it, causing quite an impact," Shi explained.

"Later, the police came, and they were also surprised," he added. "They just advised me not to go astray, and that was it. In my view, it was also a form of recognition."

Footage filmed on Tuesday shows the artist meticulously drawing another realistic banknote. Dozens of his other masterpieces mimicking cash from around the world can also be seen in the video. Footage also shows the artist's renowned 100 US dollar bill recreation.

"When you look at the details, every line, every pattern is extremely meticulous, down to the millimetre. I really love this kind of meticulous art, so I wanted to challenge myself to draw currencies from around the world," Shi said.

"I believe banknotes are a form of art, and putting all banknotes together would create an even greater masterpiece," he continued.

Shi said he began exploring this art form after discovering another artist's page full of sketches on real dollar bills.

The 31-year-old explained that the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to exchange currencies or find a dollar bill to use in China - prompting Shi to take 'over 200 attempts to draw a Franklin'.

In the future, the artist plans to attempt to recreate more banknotes from currencies 'around the world'.

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