Catching the sparkle

When someone commissions a portrait with me
I usually go to the client's house, and take in as
much information as I can. I look at the colours
they like, I notice their taste in objects, if music
is playing I pay attention to what they listen to.
All of this is preparation for me so I can
understand my subjects and get to know enough
to put them at ease when they come to my house
and I start to paint.

By contrast with the Skype drawings I'm featuring
this week, I was introduced to the subjects over
the computer. Each person would sit down and
start talking to me, and I had to grab an image
and an idea of who the person was instantly.
When I paint a portrait I'm hoping to
get more than a likeness. It may sound corny,
but in addition to making a painting I can be
proud of, I want the person's soul to shine through.

Original quick sketch of Nicole at the Consumer Electronics Show
as she was seen through Skype

When the woman in the drawing I'm showing you
tonight sat down, we made an instant connection.
She was surrounded by a group of friends who watched
me draw her, and laughed and joked with her while
she sat and I drew. She was having a wonderful
time at the show and enjoying the process of
having her portrait done, and I think that shows.

Nicole
A more polished drawing
black marker on watercolour paper
12 x 9 inches

One of the lessons my blog has taught me is that
talented and kind people all over the world
can unite through this medium. I think I was
supremely lucky to meet the people I met through
Skype at the Consumer Electronics Show too.
(The entries of the past two days will tell you the
rest of the story.)


Have a being-delighted-by-the-artists-you-know day.