There are a lot of artists that boast of not using references of any sort, that they can draw straight from their memories. Well I say more power to them, but there is nothing shameful about using a reference at all. I do, all the time. Especially with portraits. I tried once to draw from memory but to no luck. Not all artists are alike.
I also found the importance if documenting the process of your painting or drawing. They make great studies for future works. I wish I’d done it sooner. It makes it lot easier to pinpoint where you’ve gone wrong and also to compare before/after.
So this time I’ve prepped some process photos of my latest portrait of THE WALKING DEAD’s Norman Reedus. I happened upon clipping of his photo shoot with the opulent GQ Magazine, and I was surprised how different he appears from the dirty post apocalyptic tattered roughneck we are so used to seeing him on tv. I won’t bore you to death about my ridiculous rant about how gorgeous he looks (there that word said it all) I made the quick decision to do the portrait and document it. So you can see the painstaking process the man has gone through from pencil sketch to color paint. Final to come very soon…
Oh I probably should explain each process but I’m too lazy like that. XD
Wow, that’s great! He’s my favorite guy on The Walking Dead. Although, now I’m starting to sympathize with the Governor after last night’s show! Yikes!!!
I agree about feeling no shame of using reference photos. That’s how I got started with my art, by using photos. And trying to draw people from live bodies is really hard! You can tell by my “Library” drawings on my blog! :0 Great job!!!
Thank you. Don’t give up on those drawings it took a long time for me to get the hang of drawing from live bodies as well. You’ll be fine 🙂
You’re welcome! And thanks for the encouragement! 🙂 I appreciate it.