“The Tramp (A Self Portrait)”
I thought I would share a drawing I did of myself. Again, I used Pentel P205 Mechanical Pencils with Pentel 4H, 2H, H, HB, B. 2B, and 4B Hi-Polymer graphite.
I created the tones and textures by layering my graphite by making overlapping circular motions and varying my hand pressure. My main focus and inspiration in my work is emotion, light, and shadow.
Drawing gives me the opportunity to not only see but observe. When I draw portraits, I observe the tiny nuances which makes everyone unique. I observe how light and shadow play together to create shape and form.
I have never been interested in simplification - on the contrary it’s the complexities and how we see them that drives me to spend countless hours on a drawing. Drawing pushes me to examine every aspect of what I see – I become immersed in my observational skills and depict my vision in a way that a casual observer could not.
Once a drawing is complete, it is no longer related merely to the artist, but becomes a starting point for the viewer’s emotion and imagination. Photo-realism itself does not interest me in the least; realism does, details and textures do, ultimately seeing what others fail to see, until they see it in my work. When this is achieved, the collaborative relationship between the artist and viewer reaches its climax. Ultimately, and interestingly, the climax is a humble interpretation of the greatness of nature.
“A good “rendering” represents what a person sees, but “a work of art” illuminates what others do not.”
