boys

I just finished this commission last weekend. a friend of mine, Terri, has twin sons who are in the military, and has long desired a "prayer portrait" of her 3 boys. 

she wanted the drawing to be of her sons as adults, and also as children. so between the 2 of us we did  little brainstorming about the composition...

and this is what came of it:

(unfortunately, it's slightly bowed, the left side turning back a bit)

 

i was nervous, at first (well, i'm always nervous when starting a piece), just because i wasn't sure, even after doing the preliminary, what the final drawing would look like. but i'm more than happy with the result, and i learned SO MUCH while doing it (again, as i always do).

here are some detail pictures...

let me know what you think!

1 new drawing, 1 in process

ashlee

9x12, graphite

2009

rebekka (#2)

9x12, graphite

2009

finished!

"Five"

24x36
2009

"Five" detail photos...

cam

Here now is a drawing i just did as a Christmas present for my aunt Wren of her son, Cameron, when he was a baby. (so shhh don't tell her)...

Cam

9x12

graphite on paper

This piece was an learning experience...i was given a blurry photograph to work from, first of all, which is kind of the #1 way to make something a lot more difficult than it needs to be. Doing the under-drawing was a pain in the arse as a result. After 3 days of frustrated sketching i kind of threw in the towel...i didn't touch it for about 2 months because i was so fed up with it.
But time heals all wounds, they say...and the adage held true in this case. When i picked it up again a few days ago i took advantage of my fresh eyes and did a couple of minor corrections, which is all it really needed. Then i sat down, did the whole render in one evening and got it framed the next day. :)
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just for fun...here's cam now, 13 years later:

kids.

new landscape painting coming soon...

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preliminary sketch

study for a portrait of five kids i'm doing...i was given 3 photographs to work from and this is what i put together...

i'll be showing it to their mother for "approval" with a few notes (two you can see in blue on the picture)
the children are so beautiful...i'm excited :)

also take a look at a new portrait below...
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new portrait drawing

Title: Rebekka
Medium: Graphite on paper
2008

see the a few pictures of the drawing in progress below...
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"rebekka" process

a few stages of the drawing...in lousy photograph form...

and a final scan...

caid

Drawing of my little cousin Caid...it took me about 2.5 hours. i did it from life, while he was eating breakfast and watching cartoons...

painting of Caid and his father, Joey, that i did a year ago. it was definitely an experiment, and i would do a LOT differently if i painted it now. but i like it for what it is...

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Senior Portfolio piece #2...

stages of the ashlee painting

at this point i changed the angle of the face since i did the underpainting...

final piece

"Complexion (Ashlee)"
36x60 oil on canvas
2008

SOLD to Laguna College of Art & Design

ashlee stage 1

some of the photo reference...i used about 5 different pictures...

initial drawing

initial underpainting

Senior Portfolio piece #1...

The process...

initial reference photo:

study drawing

painting process:

finished piece:
"His Eyes Are Closed (Edan)"
36x60 oil on canvas
2008

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head drawings