Fansided

This set of James Harden portraits might blow your mind

ByBrad Berreman|
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 22: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets talks to the media after the game against the San Antonio Spurs on March 22, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 22: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets talks to the media after the game against the San Antonio Spurs on March 22, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)

As good a basketball player as he is, James Harden also has a unique look and one talented illustrator has taken to trying to blow our minds with a set of drawings.

Toeing the line of the rules aside, with ultra Euro-steps and step backs with extra steps, there’s no denying James Harden’s talent as a basketball player. But alongside that, he is also “The Beard” with a look (like it or not) as unique as his game.

For those so inclined to label those things in that fashion, Harden’s skill on the court and physical look could be seen as forms of art.

Croatian illustrator/designer Filip Peraic, who counts IBM, Nike, Sony, Columbia Records and Forbes among his clients, has devoted significant time over the years to drawing portraits of Harden. He even has a website devoted to displaying the pursuit, James Harden Illustrated.com.

On Tuesday, Peraic posted a Twitter thread inviting people to check out the series of portraits up to this point. Here’s a sampling of them.

My favorite is “Harden Simpson”, followed by “Inside The Mind of James Harden” and the Harden emoji. The 26 portraits are an overall mix of fun, weird and incredibly detailed, as seen in the sample above, and Peraic seemed to promise more to come starting later this week.

So from Thursday until the end of May on a weekly basis, there will be another Harden sketch released to the world by Peraic. Based on what we’ve already seen, it will surely be very interesting and continue to be borderline mind-blowing.

Harden is easy to see as a subject uniquely suited to profile sketches, and Peraic is clearly all-in on doing them. Having the talent and creativity to pull it off well, as he does, helps too.

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