Portrait sketches for Barack Obama

(This is backdated to fit the sequence.)
These are sketches for a Barack Obama portrait. The shirt sketch resulted from a suggestion from Bunny and Doug to go more conceptual. But a part of this project is to be less conceptual actually. I do plan however to have these portraits be something more than just a likeness, we'll see where it goes.

Barack Obama: more color comps

Barack Obama: color studies

These are three of the color studies I did tonight for the Barack Obama image. The graphic quality may not be in the final but was done to speed up the color changes.

Final sketch for Barack Obama image

This is the final sketch for the Barack Obama image. There are still a couple of spots that need to be resolved; the angle of the table, the left sleeve, the neck area. But it's ready enough for the color comp stage, six color comps of this sketch are due tomorrow.

Thirty thumbnails: Barack Obama

I'm starting out this series with Barack Obama. Our first exercise was to develop fifty thumbnail sketches for the image. One of these we will then refine into a color comp.

We were asked to describe our project using five words or less. Mine are, "Portraits documenting the Presidental race." For the Obama piece, my words are, "Seen as answer but unproven." I was asked by one of my instructor's, Bunny Carter, how I saw Barack Obama. I said he is propped up, new, high expections, viewed with caution (can he do it?).

My thoughts now are to take one of the thumbnails and use his white shirt (business, serious, white collar, respected, etc.) and enlarge it to contrast his thinness and to question his ability to fill his expected role.

Welcome...

...to my Hartford MFA blog. Here you will post my project process including research, sketches, preliminary art and final images.

Thesis: Political Portraits
My figurative work has mostly been stylized, iconic, and graphic. With this project, I hope to bring in a more representational look to my stylized images through a series of political portraits of the 2008 Presidential candidates.