Dr. Ben Carson - Portrait Painting Part 2

Dr. Ben Carson - Portrait Painting Part 1

Dr. Ben Carson a retired neurologist and author, known for being the first to separate conjoined twins joined at the head was in Colorado this weekend. My husband and I watched him speak and agreed that he is inspirational.

Just a few weeks ago, my husband asked me to paint him. After seeing him yesterday I started the painting that afternoon.

It is not finished but there will be a Part 2 post of the final painting along with the process pictures I took along the way. So far I have worked on this painting for a total of four hours. Unlike the others in the previous posts, I began this one by drawing him first.

Thanks for reading!

Soul Music Series Painting

Lately I have been asked about my reason for painting on particle board. The commissioned piece below is why. The wood used to create this piece was too large and had to be cut down to about 4' long. Consequently, I had 2 x 3' of leftover wood. I then decided to use it to paint Harriet Tubman.

Soon afterwards my job started to do expansion and remodeling work to their building and was throwing away tons of old particle board. I loaded them up into my van with the help of a few co-workers and friends over the next couple of days. All of the other paintings you see and will see on particle board come from there.

About the Painting
Last year I was asked by Scott the director of the Issachar Center to do a 3' x 4' painting for their Soul Music Series. We decided that it would be on particle board (something more durable than canvas). He came up with a concept. I put it into Photoshop and modified it a bit after a few suggestions.

I primed the board black and then drew a 3 inch grid system to insure that I painted it at a proper scale. I then using acrylic paint build the facial features touching it up layer by layer.

I'm so glad Scott gave me the opportunity to do this. Thanks Scott and Issachar!



Aunt Clara Brown - Women of Faith & Courage Part 4

Aunt Clara brown was one of the first African American Women to settle in Colorado. She was a former slave of Virginia and Kentucky. At age 56 she was granted her freedom due to the specification of her former slave owner's will. Later she was hired as a maid and a cook for miners traveling from Leavenworth Kansas to Colorado. Since she was a black women, it was said that she could not ride inside the traveling wagons.  Therefor she had to walk over 600 miles from Kansas to Colorado. Brown is believed to be Colorado’s gold rush first African American woman

Brown also opened the first laundry in the state of Colorado and was one of the wealthiest women of the west. She served the community and gave generously to the church and the community. She was quoted as saying, "I always go where Jesus calls me."

Clara has been a challenge because like Tubman and Sojourner, I did not draw her first. I started painting directly on the black boards without getting the composition down first. However after repainting certain parts of her face, I was able to finally get her looking much better. What a drastic change from beginning to end. I have a lot more to do to get her back on track.  I will have the final image posted on my website. Like the others in the series, this is also a 2'x3' painting on particle board. 

Never give up on the difficult paintings. Just keep painting.

Thanks for reading!

Mahalia Jackson - Women of Courage & Faith Part 3

Mahalia Jackson was a gospel singer from New Orleans, Louisiana who received the first two gold records ever for gospel music. She was also noted for sitting not too far from Martin Luther King Jr. at the march on Washington saying “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” She heard him speak about "His Dream" during a sermon he gave at a Baptist Church sometime prior to the march. King had not planned for it to be a part of his speech but did so in response to her appeal to him from behind. The rest is history.

This is another 2' x 3' black and white painting on particle board. She is also unfinished. However while painting her, I realized that I have gotten faster at painting at this scale. Which is probably why I forgot to take more process photos of her. I will try to video tape the process when I start the next one.

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Sojourner Truth - Women of Faith & Courage Part 2

Sojourner Truth was a former slave, abolitionist, and civil right activist who escaped from slavery at the age 29. She was also the first African American to win a case in court against a white man who illegally sold her five year old son. Truth was born Isabella but changed her name because she believed that the Spirit called her to preach the truth.



I started both Harriet Tubman and Sojourner's portraits without drawing their faces first. This is probably why there's such a dramatic difference from start to the point she is now. She's not finished yet. However, I plan to finish them soon and post them to my website. This painting is on 2'x3' particle board.

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Jack Johnson - History Makers Series

 Jack Johnson,  boxer in the early 1900s who became the first African American heavyweight boxing champion.

 

I have begun a History Makers Series and Johnson is one of four that I have started. A total of three images were used for this painting. I started this portrait using one image of his face, but decided to change it to one showing his teeth. I left the entire painting black and white except for his teeth that are painted gold as Johnson was known for having gold teeth. This is another  2'x3' painting on particle board. The final image will be posted to my website once it's completed.

Harriet Tubman: the Moses of her time. - Women of Courage & Faith Series

One of my current series is Women of Courage and Faith. It is a series of 2' x 3' portraits painted with black and white acrylic paint on particle board. When I think of the combination of both courage and faith - Harriet Tubman comes to mind first.

Here a few facts about Harriet Tubman's courage from the National Women's History Museum

1. When she was about 12 years old, Harriet Tubman was ordered to help tie up a captured slave.  Realizing the escapee was about to be whipped, she refused to secure him for the pending punishment. The slave master angrily responded by hurling a two-pound weight at the girl, hitting her in the head. Tubman sustained an injury that resulted in a lifetime of throbbing headaches and unexpected episodes of narcolepsy, which caused her to fall into a deep sleep with little warning.

2. At age 29 she was able to escape the Maryland plantation she worked up the eastern seaboard to Pennsylvania. Unlike most runaways, however, Tubman did not remain on free soil. For the next several years, she repeatedly returned to the South, spiriting other slaves out of bondage

3. As part of the Underground Railroad, she made 19 trips into slave holding states, leading some 300 individuals to a new life in the areas that had banned slavery. To help support her efforts, Tubman worked in a Philadelphia kitchen. She eventually became one of the Railroad’s best “conductors,” earning the dubious distinction of a having a $40,000 reward posted for her capture or death.

4. For all the recriminations directed at her by displeased plantation owners throughout the South, Tubman was never caught and never lost a “passenger.” As part of the Underground Railroad network, she successfully employed a variety of escape and evasion methods to help aid fleeing slaves. Disguise was a favorite. If it was announced that a group of male slaves had bolted from a plantation, she dressed the fugitives as women for the trip north.

5. Tubman was vitally important to the Union war effort. Utilizing the extensive knowledge of the South she had obtained while working for the Underground Railroad, Tubman was able to provide accurate intelligence data to Northern troops.

6. Tubman also became a respected guerrilla operative for the Union Army’s, waging unconventional warfare against a variety of targets behind enemy lines. For one mission, she led a raiding party through dense woods and swamps, harassing Confederate positions along the way.

7. Encountering homeless slaves during her different forays into Rebel held territory, she helped find many of these displaced men and women food, shelter, and even jobs in the North.

Read more here


Sojourner Truth up next - Thanks for reading 

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 :) !!