Portraits of a serial rabbit

Maria, Maria

2011-12-01T21:20:00.000+01:00

The luck of the draw left me to find a present for my friend and colleague Maria for our department's yearly anniversary lunch. I had some ideas for a quick fix, but decided instead to take the opportunity to give something (relatively) unique and at the same time get back in the saddle after close to a year without any serious attempts at drawing. As always, it looked better in the flesh (or paper) as the scanner just doesn't pick up the subtleties. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

The Rose of the Orient.

2011-09-12T21:19:00.009+02:00

Has it really been almost two years since I added to this blog? And yet, this drawing is almost a year old itself, representing my - then - girlfriend. I was really happy about the subtle shading on this one that is all lost in this scan, which makes it look more crude. Oh well, I did like the use of one primary colour, the red on the rose, drawing in the eyes to the center of the drawing. I think I'll experiment some more with that.

Alexine

2009-12-20T16:40:00.003+01:00

Done as a companion piece to the earlier drawing of her sister "Mélusine", I went back to my classic techniques for this one. Shame I couldn't get a decent scan of it as the shading on the suit looked rather nice in real life. I'm kind of happy with the face, especially since I wasn't sure about it early on.

The girl with the dress from hell

2009-12-20T16:17:00.004+01:00

Again, too long since the last update, especially since this drawing was finished monthes ago. I'll try to be better. Several firsts with this one.

It's the first time I had pictures specifically made for a drawing (by a professional no less). When I suggested the drawing to Liesbeth she didn't have any suitable pictures (or maybe that was just a pollite way of trying to decline, if so, it didn't work). I enlisted the help of Christophe Legasse (http://www.legassephoto.com/) who took some excellent pictures. In the end, this one taken after the actual shoot, when we were ending with a drink in the sun, won out over the more explicitely posed ones.

Other first is a departure from my trademark technique of using little dots to simulate shadow and lines in the skin. Instead, I went for a more blended approach, which I think worked well. I will try this more often. Finally, the model herself added an additional challenge by deliberately wearing a dress with an intricate pattern (and fully expecting me to replicate it instead of skimping it). While it did make me curse a few times while doing it, I also liked the challenge. Shows she 'gets' it. :-)

(Don't forget to click on it for full size, you're not seeing anything this way...)

Silence, on tourne!

2009-03-01T18:32:00.003+01:00

This is a bit of a departure from usual subjects in that up to now, I've only drawn portraits of friends or for friends. This drawing however is of the talented French singer-performer Charlotte Marin, whose star is on the rise and who's been gracious enough to allow me to post it here (the drawing, not the star). You can go here if you want to know more about her. Please do. :-)

Modern Mona Lisa

2009-02-07T10:10:00.003+01:00

The title may sound a bit preposterous, but for some reason, there's something about this drawing that makes me think about Da Vinci's masterpiece. Not because it's anywhere near that good of course, I'm not that deluded. Anyway, it needed a name and that's the one that came to me, so let's move on. It's the first (completed) drawing in a while and it didn't quite manage to do justice to the model, but then I find they rarely do. I still find dark hair difficult to do, it always seems to end up as a greyish mass, though this time it seems to be better. The lighter section towards the top isn't quite as light in real life, part of it is a trick played by the work-scanner I used. At least it's pretty, and that's always a good thing. :-)

The Trainee

2008-08-02T16:30:00.002+02:00

Patricia wasn't with us for long (one month actually), but that left more than enough time to complete a portrait. I think I should have made the hair a bit longer on the bottom left side of the drawing, but other than that, I think it is quite allright.

Mélusine

2008-08-02T16:25:00.003+02:00

Done as a gift for a friend's friend, this establishes my position as baby-artist. No real new challenges here, but sometimes that's nice too. Mélusine is this little girl's name. I'm sure it means she's destined to do great things. :-)

Hail to the King

2008-07-07T17:35:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since the last update. Well, more than a while, though I have a few updates planned now. This one was actually finished several months ago, but didn't make it up here until now because it was classified "top secret". It has now been published in the firm's legal review, a special edition dedicated to special member of our team, so I'm free to put it up here. I figured for once I'd do something a little less "dry" than the usual legal commentaries and I hope this portrait will manage to catch it's subject's true spirit.

The early years

2008-03-15T17:57:00.004+01:00

Recently, when one of our coworkers' (that's you, Nicole V.) granddaughter was born, there was some pondering about what to do for a gift and it was then suggested that it would be really nice if I were to draw the baby's portrait. I did not fail to notice the motherload of the 'common' effort was resting on my shoulders, but what the heck. Results were satisfactory, although you won't really see it here, as due to lack of time, I had to make this scan on the work-scanner, which failed to pick up the shading of the clothes. The face and hand came out well though. On to the next!

Pimp My Charles

2008-01-27T15:07:00.001+01:00

You'll have to click on the image for a closer look if you want to be able to see anything on this one. I have to warn you, the likeness isn't all that great. The expression is not a very easily recognisable one and I made it more difficult by hiding a lot of the face and head with the shades and hat. Still, faced with the choice of pressing ahead or deciding to 'bin' it and start something else, I opted to complete it since the fur texture was something I hadn't done before and it came out relatively well. This being said, if I never have to do it again, that will be fine by me...

Behind blue eyes...

2008-01-20T13:17:00.000+01:00

Some of you may have noticed a certain repetitiveness in models lately. I must plead guilty as charged, though, in this case, it is purely due to circumstance. This portrait was expressly commissioned as a birthday present for the person who made the original. No, not the photographer, her mother! Anyway, I think this one's going to be the "definitive" portrait of Inge for now (and about time too, after all the past attempts). Almost a shame I can't keep it. Cross your fingers her mum will be pleased as well...

Le Cor(ps) de Kat

2008-01-13T15:24:00.000+01:00

A return to a familiar model with lots of new challenges. This subject has lots of different textures and overall, I'm happy with the way most of them turned out, except that the horn itself is a bit too dark in places. On the other hand, the reflection of the room and the texture of the jeans are quite satisfactory. This preview picture is quite small, so I urge you to click on it to take you to a larger image. Alternative titels were "De Gehoornde Kat" and "Horny Kat", the latter probably putting my life at risk, so the wordplay on cor(ps) seemed like a safer bet. Of course, after writing this, all bets are off...

Black Mamba

2007-11-28T14:27:00.000+01:00

This one's a reinterpretation of an actual picture: the girl, pose and knife were all there, but since some parts of it were out of focus, I ended up making a few modifications, starting with black gloves, which in turn lead to an all black suit (black! black!). I rather like "the comic book art" feel of this one. Other titles that were considered included "Nightstalker", "Lady Death" and (briefly) "The Princess Blade" (all based on movies/manga). The model's love-hate relation with snakes (or should that be fascination-terror) won out in the end though. Once again, beauty and danger make a lethal combination.

Little Miss Mischief

2007-11-24T13:18:00.000+01:00

Another subject"revisited". This little girl was one of my very first models and the resulting drawing (based on a different picture) showed it mercilessly. So I *had* to do another one. This one's based on a really small picture (pasfoto) and came out roughly A4-sized. This reduced image doesn't quite do it justice, in my opinion, so click on the picture for a full size view.

Milestone - Part 2

2007-11-24T10:16:00.000+01:00

The second (and final) part of my "paid" commission. Pencil-wise nothing particularly out of the ordinary. I have used hard pencils (3H & 4H) on the tie and shirt for a smooth, silklike finish and a medium B for the rest. Had a slight stress about meeting the deadline due to being away from home and having forgotten to take the half-finished portrait with me. All's well that ends well, ey?

Milestone - Part 1

2007-11-10T18:10:00.000+01:00

I'm calling this one a "milestone" because it's the first of two drawings that make up my first "paid" commission. I'm a long way from retiring and living of my art (in fact, I'm quite positive that will never happen), but I still think it's a definite step showing how far I've come. A new challenge with this one is coming up with a way to represent the texture of whool. After thinking about it, I decided to just go for a general impression, by devising a pattern that would be quick and easy to draw (there was a lot of surface to cover after all). It's not perfect and I'll be looking to improve it in the next one, but for now it works wel enough.

The Daydream

2007-10-28T17:40:00.000+01:00

Based on the by now classic portrait of a dreamy Inge made by b-Art (see it here), this is another failed attempt at someone who's rapidly becoming one of my 'regular' subjects. I'll probably keep doing it until I get one I'm happy with. I'm not quite sure what's wrong with this one, but I have a vague impression adding the top of her head has something to do with it. She's in there somewhere, but not quite. Close but no cigar. On to the next one...

Mother Is Watching You

2007-10-16T09:21:00.000+02:00

This one was made as a birthday present and I'm really happy with the way the child came out. One of my better faces. The scan differs sligthly from the final drawing as just before sealing it, I realised I had forgotten to fill in the strap on the mother's top. So in the actual drawing it's black instead of white.

Side by Side

2007-10-15T13:48:00.000+02:00

An even younger Sandy than she is now (we were never this young) and her best friend. Also a new challenge as the dimensions of the original picture were a mere 4 by 5 cm, whereas the final drawing is five times the size. Needless to say, some details had to be improvised...

A Touch of the Exotic

2007-10-01T10:33:00.000+02:00

I really should have known that you can't announce a picture in advance without something going terribly wrong and it being delayed. So I won't tell you what's coming next or when it's coming. In fact, you should assume there won't be a next drawing, that way it can't be late. Ever. But back to business, you've seen my interpretation of the cutest boy alive, here's the woman who made the original!

The Cutest Boy Alive

2007-09-10T09:40:00.000+02:00

The title says it all really. This little guy was a nice change from doing all those beautiful women lately (the stress...). If God wills it, next week will see his mother make an appearance here (touch wood) (more stress).

The Pickety Witch

2007-09-03T08:53:00.000+02:00

From time to time an idea will pop in my head and I won't be able to draw anything else before I've gotten it out of my system. This would be one of those. Now you may wonder why I put Kat in a witch's outfit... There's a reason to it all of course (there always is, no matter how twisted it may be). Well, I suppose I could tell you, but then she'd have to kill me (or worse, turn me into a newt)... ;)

The Butterfly

2007-08-27T13:33:00.000+02:00

Main focal point of this one is the butterfly (did you spot it?), based on a picture taken by b-Art at the beach. While I think she looks cute (though you really need to click on the image for a closer look), I would like to include the following (legal?) disclaimer and stress that this portrait was made after a long and tiring day spent mostly in seawater and therefore not necessarily showing off the model at her greatest avantage. Now please post something nice about it so she won't hurt me.

The Wind & The Lion

2007-08-27T09:18:00.000+02:00

Once again based on our firm's day at the beach (picture by b-Art), the title for this one is obviously inspired by Julie's full mane of hair and the games the combination of wind and water played with it that day. It has nothing to do with the movie of the same name. I can't say the hair was particularly fun to draw (grrrr), but it was a different experience and I like the end result.

Vision In The Wind

2007-08-20T14:24:00.000+02:00

Based on another picture by b-Art, this portrait of Géraldine offered not just a new model, but also a new challenge. For a while I feared I wouldn't be able to do justice to her natural beauty or the complexity of the windblown hair. Did I succeed? That's for those of you who can know to tell me.

Heavenly Creatures

2007-08-18T12:09:00.000+02:00

An alternative title I considered for this double portrait of Inge and Aline was "Femmes fatales". I then reconsidered that this was probably not in my best interest and changed it to the current version. This is also the first drawing where I'm happy with the way the clothing came out (apart from The Dark Angel maybe). The original picture by b-Art can be viewed here. I strongly recommend that you go there now. Well, maybe after leaving a comment if you liked this... :)

De laatste druppel

2007-08-12T17:42:00.000+02:00

I should probably get a commission for "product placement" on this. Then again, it's not like I'm paying royalties to the models or photographers either, so best not to dwell on it. This picture is from the last edition of the firm's teambuilding event. Original photo by b-Art. Nothing like a few hours of intense activities to make George here appreciate the qualities of a cool drink. Till the last drop...

Right this way, sir...

2007-08-05T19:05:00.000+02:00

One of my most recent (completed) works and one that should show some evolution compared to the previous post. This cute little girl is called Marthe and is about to reach the mature age of two years this month, so this can be considered an early birthday present. This time, I got to pick the picture myself from a huge selection, but it was really no contest. I just loved the image of this tiny person opening a huge door. Who knows what wonders lay beyond it?

Deux petits canards

2007-08-04T20:20:00.000+02:00

One of my first (though not the first) "commissions". This is another older one, to hide the fact that I don't have any new stuff ready to update this blog with (okay, so I'm not hiding it very well... sue me). Well, actually, I do have some new work and lots more that's nearly finished. Just need to figure out a way to get a decent scan of out it on this limited machine. Anyway, back to the picture. These two little ducklings are called Léa and Arnaud (I'm sure you can figure out who's who).

Baby On Board

2007-07-29T10:19:00.000+02:00

This one was a gift to friends who recently got their first child, a beautiful little girl called Helena. The drawing is based on one of the very first pictures that were made. The angle from which it was taken made it both funny and touching. So here's my tribute to Rembert and Véronique on a job well done.

The Metamorphosis

2007-07-28T22:17:00.000+02:00

Another older "silly" piece. Nobody laughed harder at Narcisme van iemand anders than Charles, so that was all the incentive I needed to start this. Some of the people who'd seen this one asked about it, so I decided to include it here. The original is now in Charles' office, staring back at the drawing that made it happen in the first place, hanging from the opposite wall. As always, you can click on the picture to see it in more detail.

Inge goes bunny

2007-07-23T12:16:00.000+02:00

This one is a bit older than the last couple (a full six weeks old!), but it's pretty and it has bunny ears so it had to be on here. I was quite pleased with this one at the time, though I can see one or two flaws now that are entirely my doing and in no way related to the model's loveliness which is beyond dispute.

The Dark Angel

2007-07-21T17:25:00.000+02:00

Another portrait of Kat, with a slightly gothic take this time and it doesn't get much cooler than this. The outfit was a bit of a challenge, armed with nothing but a graphite pencil, but I think I managed to pull it off well enough. Definitely one of my favourites.

Clin d'oeil

2007-07-21T17:07:00.000+02:00

This was a bit of a special request from a close friend, in loving memory of her father who recently passed away. I hesitated before posting it here, but it is still one of my very best renderings, for which I am glad.

Narcisme van iemand anders

2007-07-21T16:45:00.000+02:00

One of my less serious portrayals of a great artist and friend. The title, which translates as Someone else's narcissism, refers to his habit of describing his occasional self-portraits as narcissistic and does not suggest a supposed character flaw. Friends might recognise the little framed picture in the background as one of said self-portraits.

The Naiad

2007-07-21T16:39:00.000+02:00

Officially, I call this one The Naiad (Water Nymph). Some people however might recognise her real life alter ego as my dear friend Kat who got her hair wet...

Blog launch

2007-07-21T15:53:00.000+02:00

This is in all likelihood the longest post you're ever going to read here, so bear with me, this won't hurt (much).

The aim of this blog will be to share some of the portraits I've made recently of friends, co-workers and their relatives. Most of these are (trying to be) faithful representations based on actual pictures. I'm working from photographs, partly because I'm slow (a large portrait will take anything from 3 to 6 hours to complete), but mainly because I've had no artistic instruction whatsoever and don't really *know* what I'm doing. I think that's okay, since I'm only doing this for fun and give away the finished works to the people who requested/modelled for them.

For the time being (at least), the scans you see will be of old fashioned graphite pencil drawings. I try to experiment with different techniques and effects, but tend to stick with higher and lower concentrations of small dots for simulating shades and highlights in skintones. Trials with colours and paints have yielded interesting, but not really satisfying results, so don't expect to see any of those on here soon.

I've only been doing this for a couple of months now, mainly to show a girl I could still surprise her after all this time (isn't that how we tend to make all big and small decisions in life, ey?), so hopefully there is some improvement yet to be made.

So anyway, if you're still reading this, you'll know by now that you didn't *really* need this information to enjoy the pictures. I wish I could give you back the few minutes of your life you spent reading this, but let's face it, you would only have wasted them anyway...

S. of W.

Contact me

2007-07-21T12:58:00.000+02:00