Why I Draw Nostalgic Objects: The Emotional Side of Hyperrealistic Art
Every hyperrealistic piece I draw tells a story—one made up of shiny lip gloss tubes, snack wrappers, and little objects that once lived at the bottom of your school backpack. Lately, I’ve been focusing on drawing things from the late '90s and early 2000s—a time full of glitter, color, and sensory overload in the best way.
But it’s not just about making something look real. It’s about making you feel something real. In this post, I want to share why I’m so drawn to nostalgic art, and how I use hyperrealistic objects to turn everyday memories into emotional, meaningful work.
Hyperrealistic Art with a Personal Touch
To me, hyperrealism isn’t just about technique—it’s about connection. Yes, it takes hours (and hours) to get the textures and lighting just right, but what keeps me going is the story behind the object.
A scratched-up lip gloss tube. A transparent Game Boy. A foil-wrapped candy with crinkles in all the right places. These things might seem simple on the surface, but they carry emotional weight. They remind us of being in Year 6, borrowing glitter body spray from a friend, or hearing your favorite burnt CD on a chunky Walkman.
That’s why I choose to make emotional art out of them. I want to give these objects the attention they deserve—to show that they’re more than just stuff. They’re memory triggers.
The Power of Nostalgic Objects
Nostalgia is a powerful thing. A single item can take you back years—just by how it looks, feels, or even smells in your mind.
When I draw something like an old snack wrapper or a discontinued beauty product, I’m not just recreating the object—I’m capturing a feeling. A moment in time. These drawings are my way of saying, “Remember this? This mattered.”
And judging by the comments I get, I know others feel it too. People say things like:
“Omg I had this exact lip balm in my locker!”
“This just unlocked a memory I forgot I had.”
“I used to keep that Game Boy in my backpack every day.”
That’s the beauty of drawing with meaning—it becomes personal not just for me, but for the person looking at it, too.
My Favorite Objects to Draw
I have a soft spot for anything Y2K and weirdly specific. Some of my favorites so far:
💄 Old-school makeup packaging (think sparkly lip balms, roll-on perfumes, plastic compacts)
🍬 Snack and candy wrappers (especially the shiny ones that crinkle just right)
🎧 Tech from the early 2000s (like the iPod Shuffle or see-through Game Boys)
📼 Retro media (cassette tapes, burnt CDs, mini disc players)
Each object is a tiny time machine—and I love showing off all the tiny, overlooked details: the tiny scratches on a label, the light bouncing off foil, or the faded text on a barcode.
Turning Memories Into Art
The goal behind every drawing I create? To make someone stop scrolling and smile—to have that one moment where they think:
“Wait… I used to have that.”
That emotional reaction is everything. It means my work did its job. It sparked something.
Creating nostalgic art through hyperrealistic drawing is my way of preserving feelings that are easy to forget in our fast-paced lives. I want these drawings to be little reminders of who we used to be—and how those ordinary objects helped shape us.
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of the objects I’m turning into art, check out my Instagram or take a look at my shop where I share originals and prints of these memory-packed pieces.