‘I drew Tom Cruise and he asked to meet me’

An artist said it was "the most surreal moment" of his life to be invited to hand deliver two charcoal drawings of Tom Cruise to the Top Gun actor.

Wilf Elliott, from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, had previously given artwork to singers, like Sam Ryder and Zara Larsson, but he could not believe his luck when Cruise's team reached out to him.

"I found out Tom had opened up my artwork on set, and I decided it would be a great idea to draw another one, and then I got a text to say he'd like to meet me in person," the 21-year-old tattoo artist said.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get someone as big as that ever again."

'Incredibly surreal'

Mr Elliott started recreating a scene from Top Gun: Maverick, one of his favourite films, about 18 months ago.

"Actually seeing someone like that and him knowing who I was before I met him was incredibly surreal," he continued.

He said he started drawing during the coronavirus lockdown to keep himself busy, and his artwork has attracted attention on social media from celebrities, like former Welsh football captain and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale.

Earlier this year, he flew to Sweden to deliver a portrait of the late DJ Avicii to the musician's father, Klas Bergling.

The rapper Post Malone and actor Jim Carrey were high on his "wish list", he added.