The Portrait That Started It All

This is the 'new' beginning. 2012 marks the start of a journey to explore that world of Art + Design + Architecture. 

It had been years since I have painted last. My very first attempt to paint was this dry brush painting of our boys sleeping. Since it has been a while, painting sometimes feel rusty and unnatural. However, I have set a bar in my mind that I would like to achieve. As long as I keep working on it, I know that I will be able to achieve my goal to feel comfortable painting again. 

There's a poem that I have found to be quite inspirational and can be a source of motivation when pursuing your goals. It is called 'Equipment':





EQUIPMENT

Figure it out for yourself, my lad,

You've all that the greatest of men have had,

Two arms, two hands, two legs, two eyes

And a brain to use if you would be wise.

With this equipment they all began,

So start for the top and say, "I can."

Look them over, the wise and great

They take their food from a common plate,

And similar knives and forks they use,

With similar laces they tie their shoes.

The world considers them brave and smart,

But you've all they had when they made their start.

You can triumph and come to skill,

You can be great if you only will.

You're well equipped for what fight you choose,

You have legs and arms and a brain to use,

And the man who has risen great deeds to do

Began his life with no more than you.

You are the handicap you must face,

You are the one who must choose your place,

You must say where you want to go,

How much you will study the truth to know.

God has equipped you for life, but He

Lets you decide what you want to be.

Courage must come from the soul within,

The man must furnish the will to win.

So figure it out for yourself, my lad.

You were born with all that the great have had,

With your equipment they all began,

Get hold of yourself and say: "I can."

--Edgar A. Guest

Thanks for reading!

Bo Jackson: Hustler

Bo Jackson, an athlete with natural God given abilities who has a legacy that will last for years to come. When asked what was one word that described him, Bo said, "HUSTLER." The term means hustler to play a game or sport in an alert aggressive manner. Not only did Bo have natural ability but he was also aggressive.

In ESPN film 30 for 30 Bo states:

"God blessed me with the speed that I could run like a deer. He blessed be me with great hand and eye coordination. He blessed me with an arm like an high powered rifle, and with all those tangibles you got to be successful in something.You got to be successful in something that you do, and my niche fell in the football and baseball field."

May I asks what is your niche? A synonym of the word hustle is 'to press' or 'to follow through a course of action'. This makes me think about life. Why do we have gifts or talents? How would our lives change if we pursued them aggressively. What if we pressed and followed through with the things we dream about?

Bo Jackson is one of my husband's favorite athletes and he knew exactly how he wanted me to portray Jackson in this portrait. After watching a few films about Bo, I am convinced that he is an example of how to actively pursue potential.

Thanks for reading!

Martin Luther King: What's Your LIfe Blueprint?

What is Your Life's Blueprint, one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most memorable speeches. He gave this speech in 1976 to a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia approximately six months before he was assassinated.

I captured four main points:.

1. Know your self worth... he states:

"Number one in your life's blueprint, should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you fell that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance."

2. Be determined to achieve excellence in whatever we do. He quoted Emerson saying:

"Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great essayist, said in a lecture in 1871, "If a man can write a better book or preach a better sermon or make a better mousetrap than his neighbor, even if he builds his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door."

3. Find your calling and set out to do it with all your heart. Here's what Dr. King had to say about that:

"And when you discover what you will be in your life, set out to do it as if God Almighty called you at this particular moment in history to do it. don't just set out to do a good job. Set out to do such a good job that the living, the dead or the unborn couldn't do it any better."

4. Only do your best!

"Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are."

This is an provoking speech should be read from time to time.

Thanks for reading!!



You can read the entire speech here.

R. W. Schambach Caricature

One of my goals is to make caricatures of great people without exaggerating their features in a demeaning way. Therefore, I had to do Evangelist R. W. Schambach. I had a chance to sit in on one of his services at my church in the fall of 2011 before he passed away January 2012. Can I say Awesome!!! He was also born April 3rd, and of course I thought that was cool. Here's a look at my process.

Thanks for looking!!!

CeCe Winans Caricature: Using More Than One Photo

Cece Winans, a worshiper of Jesus Christ and the best-selling female gospel artist of all time has been a voice of inspiration and freedom.

I decided to digitally paint a caricature of her. I began by using only one photograph as a reference. After the initial drawing, I began to add color and I realized that it was not turning out as expected. Instead of completely starting over, I decided to pull up a few more photographs. I then create a new layer and began painting on top of the first drawing. This allowed me to continue without starting from scratch. I pretty much used her eyes, nose and mouth as my base and made changes from there.

Thanks for reading!! :)

Digitally Painting Eddie Murphey Caricature

 

Last year in 2012 I began painting with oils again. Even though I found it quite fun and relaxing, I had a hard time keeping my two year old from trying to dip my brushes into the paint and painting on my canvas. Therefore, I only got through two paintings which were the Lion, and the painting of my boys sleeping. Later that year, I decided to try painting digitally. I then created a list of people I would not mind painting. I chose to do a caricature of Eddie Murphy first. Why you may ask. No other reason than that my husband and I had just finished watching Beverly Hills Cop 1,2, and 3 on Netflix. I also found out his birthday is same day as mine. I thought that was pretty cool. This was my first attempt at drawing people digitally. I just wanted to share my process.

Here is a picture of my initial drawing with the photos I used below.

Afterwards, I began to add color and play with the width of his face. I decided to make the face narrower and I tilted it to the left. I added his body next.

Lastly, I added shadows and finalized the drawing.
www.letora.net/portraits
Thanks for reading :) !!