Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Lifelong Friends

This family of lively boys, each so different in personality, became special to me. I enjoyed watching them grow as I did their portraits over a period of several years.


These drawings were all done in sepia colored pencil on a rough textured board. Each is 25" high by 16" wide. The boys' mother commissioned the portrait of each son, Tommy, Sam, and Jack, when he turned 3 years old.

Click on the pictures to see the texture of the board.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Valorie, These have always been among my favorite portraits that you have drawn/painted.

I think the rough surfaces enhance the little boy spirit that you captured on these guys.

Valorie said...

Thank you, Cindy. Those boys were a lot of fun to draw!

100 Faces - Introduction

After painting many portraits, I've found I can achieve the likeness, attitude and personality of my subjects, given enough time. Now I want to be able to create them faster!
My art goal for 2012 is to paint one hundred faces - small, quick practice studies, either from photos or from life, in whatever amount of time I have. If I only have an hour on a particular day, the idea is to complete the portrait in an hour. No time for fussing over details. I want to use larger brushes and more paint. Rough studies can have their own charm. Since it's just practice, I may throw them away, paint over them, or go back later to finish them further.

Click on the pictures below to enlarge and see the brushwork.