This blog...

...was initially for pieces done on a computer, but has since become a free-for-all. Here you'll find process work (digital and otherwise), sketch pages and studies, sometimes with commentary.

You can see the rest of my work here.

Remember kids : if you can't make pretty designs, at least make pretty lines!

-Paul

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

portrait 12

Many thanks to Virginia Critchfield for showing me civilwarphotos.net.



He reminds me a lot of Inspector Kemp from Young Frankenstein, minus the monocle and screw-on hand.

Another astute officemate pointed out that I'm making these guys less weird than they actually are. I'm subconsciously trying to "fix" them when I should be going in the exact opposite direction. For example, I could have played up his ridiculously high collar, deeply inset raccoon eyes and bushy, bushy chops-- formed more of an opinion about him before I plunged in. I think opinion is what separates lively portraiture/caricature from dead reproductions. Only so much is actually important about people, and the rest can just go away or be downplayed.

5 comments:

Cade said...

Couldn't agree more with your input on that. It's easier to do with some faces.

Check out my latest attempt. I was trying to maintain the likeness as that has been a weak area of mine. I found the picture of the guy just floating around on the internet. He looks kind of pervy to me. What do you think? Hee Hee.

Cam A said...

I believe thats General Ambrose Burnside..the man credited with inventing sideburns! he should be on a dollar bill or something.

Paul Richards said...

Cade, you made me Stephen King!!!! Hahaha, I'll get you for this...

Cade said...

Yeah. I was thinking that afterward too. Sorry about that. Like I said, I'm not too good with keeping likeness.

Cade said...

OK, I changed the rendering a little bit. Normally wouldn't mess around with it, but it was bugging me. Look more like you now?