aboutimage galleriescontactsubscribe

Brushing Up On My Portraiture

NOVEMBER 15, 2006
Dreamy (Leo, not the painting).
Get it? BRUSHING Up? 'Cos they're paintings? Ha!

I've never been the go-to guy for portraits, even though I've always thought I did a serviceable job. I always would get my sketches rejected on the grounds that the likeness wasn't close enough. This was most often coupled with teh helpful advice "I dunno, maybe it's trhe eyes? Or the mouth? Maybe more hair on top?".

Eventually I stopped trying for those giggs; it was too aggravating and I'm a guy that's all about avoidance of aggravation- just ask my parole officer.

Still, I'm up for a challenge, so I challenged myself thusly: Grab a magazine. Any magazine. Open it and paint a portrait of whomever is pictured. In this case it was Leo DiCaprio. In case you can't tell.

I did a sketch in under 10 mins and finished the painting within an hour. The pink slash is way too hamfisted and the sketch was a slightly better likeness, but it's a start. I plan to do one of these a day until I lose interest and stop doing one a day.

I have very few 'painting' heroes. Gary Panter and Picasso are pretty much it. So if you plan to comment, please make sure you reference one or both of them. Here's a sample comment to get you started: " WOW! It's like Picasso and Gary Panter had a son and that son was you!"

Or, conversely: 'You suck!"
© 2024 Steve Wacksman