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At a glance, the images at Dan Pietens\u2019 booth at the Western Fair Farmers Market look like black and white photographs, portraits and action shots frozen in time.<\/p>\n
Look a little closer, and the illusion gives way to graphite. <\/p>\n
\u201cI really take my time. I obsess over what I\u2019m working on,\u201d said Pietens, a self-described sports pencil artist based in London, Ont. <\/p>\n
Pietens has carved out a niche drawing athletes, from hockey stars like Mitch Marner to Olympic icon Hayley Wickenheiser, often combining action scenes with detailed portraits in a single piece. Some of his most intricate works can take up to 250 hours to complete.<\/p>\n
![\"Hockey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776525250_349_default.jpg\")
Hockey portraits by London, Ont., artist Dan Pietens. (Travis Dolynny\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Despite the realism, his tools are simple: mechanical pencils and erasers. No charcoal, no special tricks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s really nothing fancy about them,\u201d he said. \u201cJust traditional graphite.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pietens didn\u2019t attend art school. Instead, he rediscovered drawing during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the time to experiment and steadily build his skills. <\/p>\n
\u201cI could see what happens when I put two hours into a drawing, 13 hours, 20, and now we\u2019re all the way up to 250,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776525251_799_default.jpg\")
Dan Pietens sketches a collage featuring Toronto Blue Jays player Ernie Clement at his shop at the Western Fair Farmers Market in London, Ont. (Travis Dolynny\/CBC)<\/p>\n
He spends weekends at the market, where he meets Londoners, takes commissions and sometimes works on pieces in real time. The reaction, especially from kids, is part of what keeps him coming back. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not sure what to make of it at first,\u201d he said. \u201cThen they realize it\u2019s a drawing, and their jaws drop.\u201d <\/p>\n
Some young visitors even trade their own sketches for his, a moment Pietens said he never expected but deeply values.<\/p>\n
Beyond the artwork, Pietens says drawing has had a profound impact on his mental health. After struggling with stress and anxiety in previous careers, he found something different in art. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt provided such a benefit to me mentally that I never wanted to put the pencils down again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n