Some Sketches

In my spare time, I often sketch portraits using photo references and it's become something that I'm very comfortable with. Here are two I've done recently that I like and have both in-progress and reference photos of. One was a gift, one was just for fun.

Drawing of Orlando Bloom, Pencils and Charcoal, 12" x 18"

 I drew this as a gift for one of my friends who wanted something to put in her room. I did it on a larger scale than I'm used to (sketchbook size) so it was difficult to expand my small-scale technique to fit the paper. However, I was impressed with my ability to do so. I didn't know how to fill the dark areas without arduously filling each portion in with small strokes of a mechanical pencil, so I experimented with charcoal and just smudged it all together. I didn't really know what I was doing. I struggled a bit with the hands and hair, but I'm satisfied with the shading of the face in comparison to the photo. Overall, the face is a bit idealized which bothers me.
 

Rough Sketch of Jemaine Clement, Mechanical Pencils in Moleskine Journal

 This was done in my journal as a result of too much free time and boredom. I also wanted to see how I would do drawing from a photo, and this was one of the first attempts that produced successful results. I struggled a bit with defining the hair, and now it is just one shape, but I like the marks from the pencil and variance of stroke direction and length.

Artist Research

Nick Lepard
nicklepard.com

This is Nowhere, Oil on Canvas, 2008

Understand Still, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 2008

Nick Lepard is a painter from Vancouver, BC. His unique style of portraiture combines photorealism with thick, heavy brushstrokes that create a surreal dichotomy between realism and impressionism. Lepard uses vivid palettes and unusual colors in unfitting places to create different textures that are almost whimsical. A few of his pieces are similar to the cubist art of the early 20th-century by masters such as Picasso and Cezanne. In his words, Lepard's art "[explores] notions of singularity, concepts of time and patterns of change". This is exhibited in his work by the different light sources, colors, and angles. In works like Understand Still, to the right, he even combines different subjects to create collage-like faces.




Jacqui Oakley
jacquioakley.com

Indigo Girls, for Atlanta Magazine, Acrylic and Ink

Illustrator Jacqui Oakley says she "[loves] unexpectedly blending patterns and textures," and you can definitely see this in her work. Her art is very reminiscent of 20th century American pop art. Most of it centers around famous figures or iconic celebrities, with the exception of commissioned pieces. Her personal portfolio includes illustrations of musicians from David Bowie to Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. These portraits are stylized, almost cartoonish, with simple lines and vivid colors. At times, she uses limited palettes (only a few colors are used) which creates a printed effect. When comparing Oakley's rough line drawings to the painted, finished pieces, you can see the effect of the bright colors and painting technique.

Nguyen Chi Tien, for Pen International, Acrylic and Ink

Silvia Pelissero
Silvia's deviantart page

Crisp Morning, Oil Painting, 2011

 Silvia Pelissero, a painter from Italy, has a unique vivid style that combines loose brushstrokes and vivid colors. Her focus is definitely portraiture, and she uses warm and cool palettes to convey emotion through otherwise plain faces. Often times her paintings look slightly unfinished, yet this is not the case. She deliberately leaves negative space within faces and features that are unique to her paintings.

Pelissero's techniques with watercolor are truly original. Her paintings are soft yet vivid, not washed-out, and often look airbrushed.

Sheets of Colored Glass, Watercolor, Ink, and Charcoal, 2011

The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso and the Parisian Avant-Garde

Portrait of Gertrude Stein, Picasso

At the beginning of this summer, I visited the SFMOMA where I saw 'The Steins Collect'. While the collection features many paintings from 20th-century masters such as Matisse, Picasso, and Cezanne, the exhibit itself is more centered around the influence of the Stein family as a whole. 'The Steins Collect' focuses on the patronage of siblings Gertrude, Leo, and Michael Stein, and Michael's wife Sarah. Their financial and artistic support shaped the modern art of the 20th century, having influenced artists including Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, Bonnard, Gris, Picabia and Renoir.

The exhibit itself is not filled with recognizable, iconic masterpieces, though there are some famous pieces like Matisse's Woman With a Hat. Instead, the exhibit features many works that had been commissioned by the Steins, from simple early sketches by Picasso to many of the Bathers series by Cezanne. As you wander through the exhibit, the chronology is something to pay attention to. Overtime, the pieces become more abstract and break from the standards of portraiture and art in general. Viewers will see the different stages Picasso went through in his career, from his Boy with a Horse, to the Blue and Rose periods, and then his cubist stage. Overall, this exhibit might not draw in 100% of its audience right away, and there will be pieces that viewers like and dislike. However, as a whole, the exhibit does a great job of highlighting the impact of the Stein family on 20th-century modern art.

To learn more about "The Steins Collect," visit the SFMOMA website.

Woman With a Hat, Matisse