Going Digital - Portrait of Dad
After drawing horses my entire elementary school career, I graduated to "serious" artist" when I discovered portraiture at age 14. I think Bill Murray was my first subject - why I chose him, I have no idea. I guess he was just so popular back in the 80's it was easy to find a good photo to work from. Anyway - the drawing was on a cheap newsprint pad and I used a basic yellow pencil. I remember at one point, 3/4 of the way through, when I realized I'd captured his likeness. It happens in a second. What had been a sketch of some guy who looked like Bill Murray was suddenly... Bill Muray. It felt like magic. Following came portraits of Jim Morrision(I know why I chose him, I was totally obsessed ), Bono, Adam Ant, Prince...later Axl Rose, Motley Crue - all the culture icons of my young world... Since then I've done portraits in charcoal, acrylics, oils, pastels - from photos, from life and all combinations... It never gets old. Now, working with digital painting tools, it's the same process, with new options. Drawing on an ipad you can experiment with various brushstrokes and colors without ruining your work. Fixing drawing mistakes is much less destructive. Undo is your best friend. It is so much fun, and has made me a better all around painter by opening my mind to possibilities. This painting is of my Dad. I'm planning to translate this piece into an "analog" oil painting next. Hard to believe I did portraits of all those random rockers before my own family - but I guess the stakes were lower. I probably won't hear from Axl Rose if his portrait is a bit off ;) In this one my Dad looks all serious - which he rarely does. I'll have to do another that shows his bright smile, or his wonderful " throw your head" back laugh... Ha, my poor family, they'll be asking me to stop drawing them soon!
