Kindergarten year is when Germain Teran started to become interested in art. At a young age, he didn’t really have a purpose in what he was drawing, but he kept doing it anyways.

Today, in his sophomore year of high school, Teran has an instagram account (@germainteran) which displays his detailed and realistic portraits of a handful of his favorite musicians to the growing number of 1, 355 people that follow it.

Some of these artists include people that are quite popular in the world of hip-hop and pop culture. One of his most popular pieces is of the rapper Bobby Tarantino, who goes by the name Logic. The post he has of this piece has more than 1, 500 likes. A few of his other portraits include Chance the Rapper, Tyler the Creator and Frank Ocean.

“I draw different artists because of the work they put out, whether it’s music or movies,” he said. “My portraits are a form of appreciation for their work.”

These artists inspire Teran a great deal, especially Tyler the Creator, who used to lead the rap group Odd Future and has recently released a new album. The rapper is admired by Teran for his diverse ideas and lack of caring what others think.

“I think that’s something that any artist should have,” he said.

He chooses people that he looks up to as subjects of his portraits, and many of these people are very popular in the music world. The fact that the portraits are done of these musicians make them even more favored among his followers.

Teran’s artwork was very successful on social media, and he even decided to make t-shirts with one of his pieces as the design. He chose one of his favorite pieces to be the face of the clothing: Tyler the Creator with the background of his most recent album, Flower Boy.

Many may describe this as his merchandise, however, Teran says it is more of an introduction into his brand.

“It’s just my way of putting my artwork out there while I learn the basics of clothing design.”

He is working on branching out into clothing design, as it is something he is looking forward to in the future.

His shirts are being sold fairly quickly, and many people around Kingwood Park are in demand for them. A large amount of students are not only interested in the people that are subject to his artwork, but they also are amazed by the realistics style Teran develops in his art all while being self-taught.

Teran said that realism is challenging sometimes, but he has always preferred it over any other form of art. He plans on experimenting more with other styles and mediums, but for now, he is working on getting his name and artwork out there. By gaining exposure, followers and support, he will expand as an artist, eventually becoming more recognized for his talent.