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I sooo need a partnership with someone like Rusty Webb who can whip up the most amazing landscapes and backgrounds.
Anyway, this picture came of me desiring two things. I wanted to put slight freckles on Jordan's skin. I thought they turned out great. I also wanted to satisfy my leather jacket fetish. I loved doing the leather jacket! It was so much fun. And note, I even colored his teeth and put texture on the cuff of his right arm from the dress shirt he's wearing under the jacket.
I don't know why I can spend hours drawing a guy and all of his clothes, but I absolutely dread the background. It's another reason why I'll never be a real artist.
If you think of a background that might be cool to try, you should let me know. I just...don't want to do trees. He should be indoors, because he's barefoot.
This drawing was done using coloring pencil on illustration board. You may pin it, or use it if you like. Just give me credit.
Oculus also got reviewed. You can read it for yourself HERE.
Cool review from the phoenix.
ReplyDeleteI think the drawing looks great. Background might even be distracting.
mood
Moody Writing
Michael, I love your interpretation of Jordan. He looks so cool - particularly the leather jacket! I agree with mooderino. Background not necessary.
ReplyDeleteLoved the review. So glad to see things are going well for you my friend!
Nice work on the jacket folds!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME artwork! I too suck at backgrounds :) Sometimes it's better to just leave them out.
ReplyDeleteImpressive! I do love good artwork. Be proud of your talent. All some of us can do is appreciate the creations of others. :-)
ReplyDeleteMichael, this is wonderful! Fabulous work.
ReplyDeleteGreat work Michael. I never imagined Jordan with freckles, but now I don't know if I'll be able to imagine him without.
ReplyDeleteDamn nice drawing and coloring. Can't help much with the background--maybe a brick wall.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Michael. His face looks even more real than the last one. Practice does make perfect!
ReplyDeleteHeading over now to read the review.
You should go watch some of those old Bob Ross shows on PBS so you can learn how to paint landscapes and stuff.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, since you dumped Tebow for Luck, the Jets are 1-0 and the Colts are 0-1. Jinx!
ReplyDeleteYou have such incredible skill, Michael! And congrats on the review!
ReplyDeleteWow, that's colored pencil? I'm impressed. Wouldn't have even complained about there being no background if you hadn't mentioned it. Very cool drawing.
ReplyDeleteYou make me wish I could draw.
ReplyDeleteI'm much better at scenery drawing than anything else (but I really like drawing the inside of spaceships most). That's a pretty close picture of how I pictured Jordan. Bring on Oculus! :)
ReplyDelete@Moody: Thanks! I was surprised someone read the book so fast.
ReplyDelete@Valentina: Thank you :)
@Alex: The jacket was the easiest to do. All I did was use a black coloring pencil to do all the really dark folds and then a prismacolor colorless blending stick to spread everything out to shades of gray.
@Trisha: I can always paste him onto a photoshopped background. That's easy peasy. The original piece is huge so there's also a lot of illustration board I could fill in with...I don't know...trees for example. LOL
@Jeff: Thank you sir!
@S.A.: Thank you :)
@Elise: Hahaha. Do you like them? I thought he looked cute with them once I started adding them. I didn't go overboard or anything.
@Richard: I've done brick walls before. They are really boring.
@Charity: Thank you, Charity. I'm getting better.
@P.T.: O shush. Andrew Luck is the man. Tebow's a has-been. I need to make a new badge to showcase that the Colts are the team I root for now.
@Laura: Thank you!
@L.G.: Yes. Prismacolor coloring pencils are not your grocery store coloring pencils. They're expensive and blend easily on illustration board, especially if you use a colorless blender from the prismacolor markers (it serves to liquify the color and make it easy to move around for a few seconds kinda like paint). Coloring pencil is my choice to use in my apartment because it's clean. I don't have to set out paints or anything.
@J.L.: Thank you
@DPK: Thank you :)
Great illustration. What about different walls with different doors behind people. Might make people wonder where they are and what's beyond. Just thinking......
ReplyDeleteLOVE the leather jacket fetish!
ReplyDeleteMichael, for reals, you're incredibly talented. I'm so lucky to know you!
I was going to compliment you on the drawing, but I read these comments and saw that you're dropping Tebow for Andrew Luck.
ReplyDeleteFIRST: Tebow's not a has-been. He's the future of quarterbacking.
SECOND: Andrew Luck? Psh. Tosh. Have you looked in on Russell Wilson? All he's doing is having an amazing year.
@Em: That maybe could be interesting. I'll think on it.
ReplyDelete@Morgan: Thank you :)
@Briane: Tebow is a HAS BEEN!
Awesome picture! And congrats on the review!
ReplyDeletenicely done, mike :)
ReplyDelete@ Michael, I do like the freckles, you focused them around the bridge of his nose and I like that, very cute. If I had done freckles, it'd look like chickenpox. You should offer intermediate art/drawing classes for extra cash or something. I'd sign up, but the commute from my house is a bitch.
ReplyDeleteThat review was incredible.
ReplyDeleteThe picture is fabulous. If you're not a real artist then I'm not sure who is.
Maybe a locker room background. Just shelves, lockers, benches, that type of stuff, nothing too distracting. BUT, that said, it's great as is.
Michael, like you I once dreaded backgrounds. I finally got to the point where I'd paint the backgrounds first, usually a field of interesting brush marks and colors and when that had dried I'd paint my figures over it. The great English portrait painters did it this way.
ReplyDeleteSomething I stressed with my students (back in the day when I taught drawing and painting) was to concentrate on the light source. Old master drawings look so real and three dimensional because the artist is using a single light source, usually the sun from an open window. Today, photographers manipulate light in so many ways; notice how on many fashion ads the female nose is reduced to two nostril holes; multiple light sources are used to obliterate the structure of the nose altogether.
This is one of the reasons you should take your own photographs as reference shots rather than using pictures from magazines.
Identify your light source, and remember that shadows only appear on the side of an object facing away from the light source. And don't forget the most important tone of all, the one novices often miss. This is the reflected light that falls between the shadow on an object and the shadow cast by the object as a whole.
You aren't asking for anyone's opinion but I think you have a strong identity with your artwork and I look forward to seeing more of it.
@Stephen: Thank you for the thoughtful comment/critique. I want to take some professional lessons, if anything...to hone what I already have. Maybe I can get over my loathing of backgrounds. I just think they are so boring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the others who said background not necessary. Perhaps just a hint of a wall.
ReplyDeleteAnd he looks just like... Don't you hate it when the name is on the tip of your tongue, but you can't come up with it? Maybe it'll come to me later.
While a basic background would look good, It looks great Dearie!!! :) His expression, colouring, and freckles are grand, the folds on the jacket are superb, everything is just awesome!
ReplyDeleteNice. I'm not an artist at all. I'm looking for one at the moment...
ReplyDeleteWhat about some sort of web? Equations? An equation web?
@Liz: I want to know what he looks like! Sheesh...cliffhanger.
ReplyDelete@Melissa: Thank you *hugs. Can't wait for "Life of Pi" on Wednesday night.
@Mary: Equations? That would be cool. I hadn't thought of that either. Both you and Faraway had good ideas :)
Love the drawing! I wanted to leave a comment on the review but I don't have a disqus account and that appears to be the only option on my phone. I wanted to say that it's great to see your work being celebrated. Looking forward to the blog tour! :-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the lovely review. I said this before and I'll say it again, you draw amazing.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think that's my favorite drawing yet out of your collection. Congrats on the great review!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you (of course) got a great review for Oculus. It's on my soon-to-read list and now I'm looking forward to it even more.
ReplyDeleteFor the background, maybe brick walls, windows, doors, or something else that's angular? That urban, hard background might be a good contrast to the flowing leather jacket, which by the way is very well drawn.
1. Jordan's HAWT.
ReplyDelete2. You got mad skillz, yo.
3. Walking Dead last night, American Horror Story last Wednesday, OMG, OMG, OMGZ!!!!!!!!1!!!1111!!!!
Some Dark Romantic
That drawing is fantastic! From the freckles to the jacket to the tendons under the skin. You have skill, Michael. He looks like a cross between Justin Bieber and a young (hip) Ron Howard. Is there sand in the novel? A deserted beach?
ReplyDeleteGlad you satisfied your leather jacket fetish! You rock! And... the drawing is amazing... once again.
ReplyDeleteOff to check out your review :)
Hey, I know. Draw a tree behind him. *snicker*
ReplyDeleteFanFreakinTastic picture, Michael!! Love your stuff, writing and artistry.
You are incredibly talented. When I don't feel like writing I waste my time.
ReplyDeletei think you draw to belittle me...muahahaha...
ReplyDeleteyou're an amazing artist!! :)
Congrats on the review and more sweet artwork! I'm enjoying Oculus thus far, but you'll have to be patient with me because I'm a slow reader.
ReplyDeleteWow. Ok, I am not an artist - but wow. I like it just the way it is. This my first visit, I am now following. Thanks for visiting my blog :)
ReplyDelete@Cally: It's okay. We know you're from Australia so we forgive you down under peeps. J/K Lulz
ReplyDelete@Clarissa: Oooh. Danke
@Cindy: Thank you.
@Helena: No walls. I'm tired of drawing walls.
@Mina: SQUEEEE!!! You made my day sexy lady. I like the fact that other people think my protag is "hawt." I don't know why, but I feel validated.
@Shay: You know...that's the best description of Jordan I've ever heard. I would never have been able to put Bieber and Ron Howard together in the same sentence. Seriously.
@Leigh: Thank you dear Monday only poster.
@Huntress: Jordan doesn't need any more wood behind him. Honestly. He has enough.
@Susan: Here! Here!
@Tammy: Oh thank you *hugs
@Michael: N.P. sir. I am tickled that you are tackling the monster of a novel. It's huge.
@Rhonda: You're welcome. Thanks for following me back.
@Michael - I know what you mean about feeling validated, totally. It's like folks see your character the way you do, which means you've been successful in telling his story. Also, the detail on the jacket is pretty sweet, and I love how expressive you made his eyes...really, really cute "guy." :-)
ReplyDeleteIts a good portrait :)
ReplyDelete.......dhole
I like it without a background, but the jacket sort of makes me think of the bikes they rode in SLIPSTREAM. Is there some way to incorporate some element of that into the background?
ReplyDelete