Pay attention to Ekaterina Koroleva’s composition choices, i.e. where and how she places her subject in the frame (running off the edge, pushed to one side, parts cut off or eliminated). That, combined with her loose, layered sketches, subtle colours, and simple shapes, create an interesting aesthetic. More on Ekaterina Koroleva’s website.
Gary Hume’s portraits are all about line and shape. His water paintings (last 2 in the gallery below) consist of layered line drawings, creating interesting shapes where the lines intersect. If you are interested in this style, check out these two types of contour drawings.
So much to look at in Amy Sherald’s portraits – the flat, bright, backgrounds with subtle texture, the monochromatic grey skin tones, the saturated colours and patterns in the clothing that contrast with the background, and the small details of light and shadow in the folds of clothing and the way it drapes over the figure to give these otherwise flat portraits a hint of depth. See more on Amy Sherald’s website.
Subtlety is a key word when it comes to describing Ali Cavanaugh’s watercolour portraits. She uses thoughtful colour schemes that evoke feeling, pays deep attention to light and shadow, captures all the necessary details of photorealism, with the looseness and unpredictability of watercolour. Images of her work, info about her artistic process, and more on Ali Cavanaugh’s website.
Cree artist George Littlechild explores identity, family and politics, in his colourful, mixed media portraits. More on his website.
Hope Gangloff’s acrylic and collage paintings capture the personalities of her friends and family with defined shapes that are filled with repetitive marks and bright patterns (Colossal). More on her website.
Portrait artist Ed Fairburn works with ink and pencil on maps. He primarily uses two techniques to create value (light/dark): crosshatching between streets (which preserves the layout of towns and cities), and following and manipulating the weighting of contours (the organic lines which show elevation). More info and work on Ed Fairburn’s website.
Takahiro Kimura created these collages of broken faces by cutting different parts out of various photos, rearranging them into collage and applying colours on the final result. More on his website.
Lui Ferreyra proves that pencil crayon doesn’t have to be boring. More on his website.
Ekua Holmes‘ rich storytelling collages are made from scraps of vintage wallpapers, snippets of yesterday’s news and pieces of discarded costume jewelry, laid upon fields of primary colors and multiple textures. More on her website.
The scribbles are all about using line in strategic ways, and understanding how to create light and dark with density. Check out Vince Low’s website for more of his work.
Portraits made from various objects and recycled materials. Note the artists’ choices in materials used, and how they help tell the story of the subject – the portrait of Steve Jobs is made from e-waste; Robert Smith of the Cure made from cassette tape ribbon; Jimi Hendrix made from guitar picks.
Meet my pal Justin. He wants us to draw his face.
Sketchbook Activity, Part 1 – Proportions
Look carefully to see where features are on the face, and what they are aligned with. Start with a loose, light sketch and all the guiding lines you need, and rough in where the features go. Once you’ve got everything positioned, and your proportions look accurate, then start to build up the details. Continue reading
Here are two great activities to work on your observation skills, line work, and have some fun (yes they’re supposed to end up weird looking – that’s the beauty!). Continue reading