man study
18 x 24 charcoal
ust to be clear, this is not an attempt at realism in any way. My goal was under a half hour for each drawing, and to be expressive and illustrative with the skeleton, and NOT to render out realistic pieces. Blocking lighting and shapes with simple gesture was the goal, dramatic and high contrast.

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18″ x 24″ Charcoal
realistic charcoal portrait of famous actress Veronica Lake
Whats weird is that is how her eyes are actually pointed.
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18″ x 24″
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Charcoal rendering of Salvador Dali
I thought I would try to make a animated swf file out of the process, and will do so again a little better next time.
And here is a picture of me smiling!

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18″ x 24″ Charcoal rendering of Vincent Price
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just so you have a real idea of what 18 x 24 looks like, here’s a pic with me in it!
A few things on this:
1. I’m still waiting on my instructors feedback but I am posting this prematurely. I guess that shows I’m gaining confidence in my work!
2. Taking a photograph of your work is always problematic. Lights pointed in different directions, all different colors, create glares and blown out levels. This was the best I got without spending my evening taking pics of the drawing.
3. One of the biggest challenges about this picture was his expression. It isn’t surprised, it isn’t scared. It isn’t smiling, it’s really a mixture of things. This I am realizing, is probably part of what makes Vincent Price so incredible. When drawing a face, that is surprised lets say, it is easy to place expressionism in the features because they are an extreme fixated position and you know not only that the eyelids go up, but it is a fixated emotion, whereas this is a multitude and a mystery of feeling. However, I realized that I haven’t really seen any of his real work other than the modern stuff he was nice enough to play a part in. Maybe because I considered most of his old work kinda hokey, but that is being unfair. It’s really weird realizing this, having not only been obsessed with all things horror, but also having spent a good amount of time studying genres of film including Hitchcock and even Jean Luc-Godard. But what is cool, is as I drew this, I realized how much he had influenced a whole genre, and inspired children by making appearances on the Muppets, and being what I realized as an amazing human being. By the time I reached the end stage, not only did I feel like I respected him a whole lot more, but I already was influenced and inspired by him and I haven’t even given him a chance yet.
I’m watching the Abominable Dr. Phibes tonight.
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