I have been interested in the hyperrealism style of painting for some time now. I have dabbled with a few small projects but want to complete something of significance in 2012. I envisage this being an extensive project probably lasting a few months...yes, a lot of hours of work!
WHAT IS HYPERREALISM?
For those who do not know, hyperrealism is a genre of painting where the finished artwork actually resembles a photograph. Many people have difficulty in telling the difference...something I find myself discussing with visitors to my artwork at Eumundi.
I am currently looking for a major project to undertake. It will probably be for my own collection but I am open to commissions for businesses or private collections.
This will not be a caricature! What I am hoping to complete is something different to my usual work. This will be a hyperrealistic painting of significance.
At present I am leaning towards a landscape/cityscape...something depicting the essence of Australia. However, the idea of a portrait of significance also intrigues me.
Throughout 2012 I will be posting my progress with this project on this blog and/or my website.
Yesterday I showed you how I paint my caricatures. Today I show you how I paint my portraits.
The video above is a very quick 'sketch' rather than one of my more detailed paintings. My detailed portraits can take up to 40 hours or more to complete. Every hair is painstakingly painted by hand...there are absolutely no photo manipulations, scans, trickery...all my work is produced by hand!
I usually start painting a portrait with a black (or dark grey) background and white outline. I find this easier to work with than having a black outline. It's therefore strange that I prefer a black outline on my caricature work! However, the two styles are very different so it is only right that I have a different approach to each.
After the initial outline I will redefine the outline and smooth it out a little. At this stage the portrait is still a very rough sketch.
I prefer to work in B&W (greyscale) and build up layer after layer of shading. I use a soft brush with fairly light strokes, ensuring I blend the various shades.
The next stage is to add some details to the face i.e. the eyes, mouth, nose etc.
The eyes of the portrait are extremely important and I find myself revisiting this are of the painting over and over again.
Once the majority of the facial detail has been completed I will smooth out the initial outlines...often erasing them totally or blending them into the face.
Once the black and white base shading is completed it is time to start adding colour to the portrait. The video above does not show this stage but it is fairly quick as the majority of the painting is completed during the black and white stage.
If you would like to commission your own caricature or portrait then please feel free to contact me or visit my website at www.drawme.com.au.
My work is receiving international recognition with many of the top companies seeking my work.
Below are just a few of the 1000s of pieces of art I have completed.
MARILYN MONROE
I have always wanted to complete a portrait of Marilyn and managed to get this one finished a couple of months ago.
Here it is hanging in one of my rooms at room.
ROBERT PATTINSON
With the latest release of the Twilight movies I thought it only fitting that I complete a portrait of one of the cast.
This portrait has received a lot of recognition on various sites including a coveted 'Featured Portrait of the Month' award.
You can view the portrait at the world famous Eumundi Market every Saturday.
We look at faces every day yet when it comes to drawing them there are few people who can do it well.
When I am hand painting a caricature I follow some simple steps.
In this blog post I walk you through the steps involved when drawing a caricature.
STEP 1 - the outline of the face. This is probably one of the most important steps as it will define the actual likeness to the person being drawn. The caricature does not have to be extorted in any way...my caricatures are not the extreme type. I spend quite a lot of time on this stage, ensuring I get a really good shape for the face. I keep referencing the photo sent to me as I need the caricature to look like the person...after all, that is what I am renowned for!
STEP 2 - base shading. This is what gives the caricature its shape. A solid base colour is applied followed by some lighter and darker shades to define the shape of the face.
STEP 3 - the eyes. The eyes of a caricature or portrait are extremely important. The hardest thing for me is telling what colour the eyes are from the photo as few people actually list this in their description...despite my requests!
STEP 4 - the mouth. Actually a difficult part of drawing a caricature as there is so much to include. The lips, teeth, inside of the mouth, subtle highlights etc all define a person's mouth. I often get asked to add a smile to the caricature but this can be difficult as everyone smiles differently.
STEP 5 - the hair. Almost finished now and just the hair to do. Hand painting hair on a caricature is relatively easy. For my portrait work I actually hand paint every strand of hair which is extremely time consuming. However, the results are worth it. If the person has a beard or stubble then I also complete that at this stage.
STEP 6 - finishing touches. I now add some more highlights and shading to further define the face of the caricature.
Once the caricature face has been drawn it is time to complete the body and background. It is at this stage that the whole piece comes to life.
If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
This is the latest Doctor Who caricature which was completed earlier today.
It is based on the Matt Smith Doctor Who (customer face) with his signature red bow tie and tweed jacket.
The background contains the TARDIS and shows a wormhole...all adding to the fantastic look of a caricature worthy of any Time Lord.
The whole caricature is awesome at any size but I particularly recommend the 50cm x 75cm canvas print for this...it truly is stunning!!
You can have your very own face hand drawn on this Doctor Who caricature.
If you require a custom Doctor Who background then this can also be uniquely hand drawn for you. Just specify what you require when you order your Doctor Who caricature. Perhaps you would like to include a DALEK or some Cybermen...the choice is yours.
If you are after something totally unique then a hand painted portrait is the way to go this Christmas.
All I need is a photo of the person to be painted and I will then turn it into a portrait.
Special techniques can be applied to the painting to turn it into the portrait bust you see on the left.
I can turn old photos into modern day masterpieces which can be produced as a framed print or onto canvas.
These hand painted portraits make ideal Christmas gifts as they are totally unique and tell the receiver that you actually thought of something other than the pair of socks!!
You can include any background detail you wish on your family caricature.
Each caricature can be drawn to your exact requirements and to any size.
All I need to draw your family caricature is a good photo of each person. I then hand draw the artwork and it is professionally printed at an external lab (no cheap inkjet prints here!).
Place your order today and receive a totally unique gift in time for Christmas.
