Because I earn a living with art, I rarely draw just for fun. This is not a bad thing, it is just the way it is.
A few weeks ago, Trail Guy and I were visiting with a packer for the Park. He is quite interesting to look at. The sun was shining perfectly on his shirt, and his hat looked imminently drawable (no excess straw weavings like so many hats have). Besides, I have avoided portraits for a long time, and with the current lack of real work, this might be a good opportunity to try faces again. (Hey, maybe I AM on sabbatical for learning!!)
Without him knowing, I took his photo. Later I converted it to black & white, because this helps me be sure it isn’t the color in a photo that is creating the interest.
Then one hot afternoon, I sat in the studio with the A/C roaring, listened to a few Mike Rowe The Way I Heard It podcasts, and did this.
The background will take some thought, because in reality, it is busy and messy.
It doesn’t matter. There is no deadline, nor is there payment awaiting at the end of the job. That’s why I call this “drawing for fun”. And as far as portraiture, there is precious little face that is visible in this picture.
10 Comments
looks just like him!
Thank you, Anonymous! (I take it you know Slim’s grandson. . .)
You did a wonderful job!
Thank you, Virginia! I was able to work on it more today and now need to turn it into another blog post.
Good job! It’s very difficult to draw or paint someone’s portrait and have the end result actually look like him/her. I think you nailed this one!
Sharon, this one was easier than most because of the small piece of visible face.
Fantastic, as usual. Your talent never ceases to amaze me! Leah
Thank you, Leah! He was a combination of a unique look, good light, and a tiny portion of face for me to mess up.
Good job!
Thank you, Anonymous! I am pleased with it so far.
Comments are closed for this article!