A couple of summers ago during an assignment drought, my rep, Sam Scali, suggested that I sharpen my portraiture skill as a way of firing off in a new direction. I was up for the challenge. I have had a wonderful career, basically on the back of a cartoon character that I had developed over the course of many volumes of sketchbooks. I had that character DOWN, and I often questioned my ability to draw with any facility in any other way. In the mid 60's, my parents had the foresight to buy the "Mayforth kids" a set of World Book Encyclopedias, and they are one of my prized possessions. Whenever I need inspiration, there is something in those books that will jumpstart an idea. So for this portraiture project, I turned to the World Books, starting with the A volume and drawing all the biographical portraits. My idea is to work through the entire set and doing so will hopefully sharpen my portraiture skill as well as connect me with many often forgotten historical figures. Below are some of those sketches, and within, you will find astronauts, poets, politicians, philosophers, cosmonauts, writers, hell raisers and an assassin.
Please visit my site to see a gallery of this portraiture work in color.
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| Louis-Marie Autissier - French born Belgian miniaturist |
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| Maybelle Carter |
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| Wallis Simpson |
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| Phillip Johnson |
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| A.P. Carter |
