Four Portraits

This week has been about four portraits. Last week I promised a concept piece, which I hoped to finish - but I didn't. I do still hope to finish it (I will finish it) - but it isn't ready yet.

Above is an image of Kurt Cobain next to a quote from Athur Ashe (tennis legend). Why? Well I heard the quote, not knowing where it was from, but my mind flashed to Cobain. 'Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can'.

I think that the joy of Nirvana as a band was the simple fact that three dirt poor guys - artists - with the most basic tools, got together in a garage and just changed the world.

For me that is the power of art. The whole commercial might of the rock industry, that had become over blown with cocaine and hair metal bands was just changed as soon as everyone heard the simple truth that came along with Cobain's music.

He simply started where he happened to be (largely drifting along in Seattle) - rejected to some extent by his own parents, the school system, the popular crowd, he used what he had (the most simple of tools - a guitar, an amp, his small group of friends), and he did what he could.

Last week we visited the subject of Street Art, and you can see how I've tried to make the image of Cobain on the wall resemble Street Art and I wanted it to feel urban and rough. I wanted to person looking at the piece to think that they could imagine themselves being confronted by this image sprayed on a wall. I'd love to experience that, personally. 

That particular pieces isn't the most compelling likeness that I've ever drawn - but it's valid and not unrecognisable to the image I was working from.

The other image (top) was done afterwards because I was a touch frustrated with the fact that the likeness wasn't recognisable enough to satisfy me completely. I found this other image that was washed out and lamenting, and seemed to speak about addiction and tragedy. It's all about the eyes. I was really happy with how that cam out.

 

Subsequently I felt like I wanted to capture Dr Martin Luther King Jr. I can't really explain why. He was such a powerful figure - in his voice, but also in the way that so many photographers succeeded in capturing him. I think I was watching a documentary on Bob Dylan and they tied into Martin Luther King.  I saw this image and had to try and recreate it. It's just so direct and intimate and challenging. I was really happy with how it came out - there's stuff in here that I learned from Jeroen van Neijhof who communicated with me through twitter. His work has so striking clarity and I was literally just hit when I saw his work, and he gave me some instructions on technique that immediately helped me. Collaboration in art is wonderful for development. Trying to grow and improve in a vacuum is an impossible concept. When you open yourself up to others you also get inspired.

Below is a picture of Walt Whitman. This is actually something that I quite happy with. Walt Whitman is my hero in poetry and when I studied at the University of York one of my Professors took me to one side and paid me a huge compliment by saying that my close examination of "Song of Myself' was outstanding (that's the bit I choose to put the emphasis on!) BUT almost entirely devoid of objectivity because I was clearly in love with the text!

So of everything I read in my literature degree the thing that I really was besotted by was the work of Walt Whitman - a genius 150 years before his time.

As I was drawing this out I felt his face appearing out of the page and I'll be honest it felt effortless. I had no uncertainty. Often when I'm drawing I had a slight quantity of anxiety about whether I'm going to capture resemblance. I just never had that feeling here. I think there is a quality in making a portrait that you have to pay attention to that face as if you absolutely love every mark and even if you don't convey it in your work - you have to acknowledge it and know that it's there.

This might sound perfectly obvious - but you have to challenge yourself to draw what is actually there and not what your mind tricks you into thinking is there. You know? Zoom right in and consider the picture within the picture.

I feel like I've learned a lot this week.

Robert Bohan

I wasn't actually going to write about a particular artist this week. I just hadn't encountered one that motivated me to do that. While my blog tends to be a bit 'gushy' (why would I refer to an artist to slag them off though?) I'm still discriminatory in the sense that I pick people out and I don't just throw anyone up here. Essentially the art has to engage me emotionally some how.

So today I encountered Robert Bohan, from Dublin, on Twitter:

As you can see, Robert believes in the relationship between art and emotion. I had an immediate reaction to this portrait that he is displaying on his account:

I saw it and immediately thought 'wow'. I feel that it's incredibly distinct and stylish - it's both detailed and yet plain. It's minimal without feeling empty. So I immediately went through his photos like I was raiding his house or something. I was rewarded with these images - totally different - even more abstract, and bold and colourful.

Then we got this (left) which is entitled 'Grief'. It's like a foot and a hand, and two eye balls, and a hand tearing at the eye socket, and it's tangled up and rolled in a ball, and the whole thing is drawn off centre and up in one corner...

Wow.

And here we have to drmatic portraits of female figures - each beautiful in their own contrasting way. The figure in blue has a ghostly bereaved quality and seems to be caught in a swirling cold wind.

@RobertBohan is clearly a mature and very well established artist with over one hundred and sixty thousand followers on Twitter. 

You can check out his website here

I didn't actually approach Robert before I wrote this blog, I was just kind of moved to do it. Robert - I apologise, but thanks for your art, it's very special.

Street Art

I watched a TV documentary about Banksy's residency in New York this week and I enjoyed it immensely.

I enjoyed watching the New York art intelligensia snobbery of calling it basic and crude. I enjoyed watching ordinary people coming to life in urban environments because they were excited by art. The relevance of art to every day life is massively underestimated and the simple fact that an artist like Banksy can shake our presumptions - just a little bit - and help us to see our communities and environments differently is incredibly important.

So I wanted to blog a bit about urban street art, and just pluck some images and throw some things together and talk about what I see in them. I hope that it invites a little consideration and maybe even some discussion.

This morning I tweeted:

 and while I did get a 'favourite' from Art Angels in Los Angeles (which is frankly very cool - thanks guys) I sadly didn't get any responses (as yet).

To me Street Art is the ability for ordinary people to reclaim their urban and sub-urban environments with creativity and expression.

I'm not talking about the mindless self indulgence of just tagging walls and structures with literally no real contribution or thought. I'm talking about the genuinely provocative and motivated art that brings a person to a particular place - a unique canvass - to bring something to life that possibly only they have even seen.

In addition, there is a form of street art which gives voice to things that are generally supressed in main stream politics - the idealism of liberated thought and counter culture - which (whether you agree with the specific point being made or not) is something that keeps democracy alive and stops us all from being smothered by main stream centre ground thinking.

Some of the images are incredible in the way they play with perspective and light - and the perception of depth.

I'm sure that a time travelling Da Vinci would stand in wonder at seeing such things.

The fashion for playing with perspective tricks - drawing pits and traps in pavements - is massive and takes and incredible amount of skill. 

The example that I've chosen here come from China, and clearly invites people to play with it and interact. The huge element of fun also washes into a kind of surreal perception of the world that evokes the same kind of feelings that you might experience when looking at Salvador Dali melting clocks and so on.

 This image (not sure where it's from - sorry) it brilliant in that it has a similar three dimensional quality that stands out from it's surface but also creates fine art from a surreal combination of splashed colours.

The sense of motion and impact is really strong here and the strands of hair are both precise and somehow not actually there at all. Mind blown.

 The image to the right, from a London location, reiterates the incredible skill that it involved in this type of art. In the same fascinating chaos as the image above, and in a similar fashion a beautiful and expressive face appears from out of that chaos quite clearly. This is fine art for the masses, and it's free to look at for anyone who is lucky enough to happen upon it.

I think one of the most wonderful things about street art is how it just happens to you. You don't expect it, you just happen upon it and when it's really good, it can just fracture your day and punctuate it with something remarkable and totally unexpected.

This takes me into the subject of street art that has been inspired by the particular location. The artist has seen something that probably nobody else has considered and fills in the pieces to use the environment to bring it to life. This is art that couldn't exist anywhere else in the same way - so it's unique and it can never be removed without destroying it.

The first two examples show artists using the contrast of plant growth with urban surroundings - in this case to create hair brilliantly. 

Our two mice in the curb show something altogether different. Firstly there is some kind of a relationship being played out here. One mouse leaving a strawberry for another while hiding to see the reaction - in my mind it's soft and romantic.

In another way I love the fact that it's so tiny. Perhaps a great deal of street art plays on the fact that it can be larger than life and overwhelm the viewer in sheer impact and scale. Here we have two tiny mice and the scale of the piece means that it is probably unseen by the majority of people who step over or round it (particularly as it appears to be on the outer egde of a roundabout of some sort of planted border. 

Additionally it can only be viewed from one perspective. The door is drawn in such a fashion as to give a '3D' effect - popping out of the curb. Viewed from the opposite angle it would look 'wrong' and fail to achieve the same effect at all.

Contrast this against the turntable immediately below it. Drawn on a roundabout and using the physical lay out of the street, a trick of perspective is used againt by the photographer who puts his hand into the shot to simulate a scratching of the record.

Compared to the mice in the curb, this is huge art and the people standing and riding around the art seem like ants.

Of course an important part of this piece is the drawing of the relationship between urban music and urban art - bringing the DJ and the artist together in one picture.

 Beneath it is an incredible image - so simple and perfect. A concrete standing post use to steady a scafold type fence. This is common street furniture used to prohibit access or control the movement of people. Such furniture is often associated with control (for obvious reasons) by the authorities over the people.

Here the pole of the fence literally become 'one in the eye' as simply painting a bloody splatter around the circular hole creates a face contorted by shock and pain. It expresses violence, but in a comic way, and personifies a simple, functional lump of grey concrete.

 This (kind of) carries me into the political statements section (as if I had some structure to my blog).

There's a brilliant opportunity for artistic political statement in urban graffiti - and it's like anonymous comment that makes you think, even for just a moment.

Agree or disagree with the comment that is being made - this is political free speech with an in built air of rebellion that comes from spraying it across someone else's wall (I'm not advocating criminal damage here folks).

Below we have a skeleton lamenting the lessons of life that you only get when you've finally done with it.
 

 This message is a simple and poignant reminder of priorities on the backdrop of a blood red wall with a pretty, retro looking type writing offering timeless wisdom.

 Here we have the juxtaposition of a jewellery wearing well made up material girl 'breaking up' with capitalism.

The anti-capitalism message is a substantial theme that runs throughout the street art movement.

Here we see feminism taking to the streets. It appears to have been plastered to the wall, rather than painted on the wall.

 I also want to consider iconography and iconoclastic motives in street art. Some of the best and most subversive street art carries the images that are thrust at us through million dollar advertising campaigns on an international basis.

Go where you like, you will find it hard to escape Disney or McDonalds for example. Both are targets for street artists.

Here we see Mickey and Goofey fly pitching posters of Kate Moss, and stuck in some form of dilemma about what they have put up. Here they become the hit and run street artists.
 

 Here we have a subversion of childhood characters (Mickey again, a Teletubby, Asterix the Gaul, Super Mario, Winney the Poo and finally Pikachu) on a criminal line up.

Their distorted faces and barred teeth are menacing. They all look criminal.

Make of it what you will.
 

 Here we see the iconic image of 'Here's Johnny' Jack Nicholson from 'The Shining' apparently smashing his way through a brick wall, but this time his weapon is something far more scary than an axe - it's a spray can.

 Here we have a take on the Mount Rushmore - technicolour and with a sense of both drug infusion and also a kind of 'not quite tuned in' quality.

The sheer scale of this art is obvious from the size of the lady walking by with her pushchair, and the door behind her.

I loved this simple punning rhyme (left). It's both incredibly appropriate for the subject of Biggie Smalls art and it links urban art back into urban music.

The Biggie below is far from small. It again reiterates this idea that street art can be massive and over powering. This image of the Notorious B.I.G. peering out from under this fire escape is overwhelming and somehow presents the artist (Biggie) so much more appropropriately than a tidy little canvass ever could.

 I'll end with a miscallany of images that I really like, and I'll thank you for walking through street art with me. I'd absolutely love it if you got in touch to share your art or your opinion.

Playing with tools, playing with light and dark.

This week hasn't been prolific in terms of how many pictures I've produced - but in terms of lessons learned from what I have been drawing, it has been quite superb.

I've drawn the StarWars character 'Darth Vader' three times (below) because he presents an excellent opportunity to play with a high gloss black object and then try to understand what the colour is doing, reflections and so on.

The first one I drew was (below) this chest and head portrait. It came about following a conversation that I had online with Leonid Afremov about how he creates his incredible images (see last weeks blog). He showed me a video of him creating one of his pictures using a knife to apply the paint to the canvass. Being such a novice this is not something I knew anything about and being into digital art myself (not having the tools to really explore physical painting in different forms) - it was difficult to replicate or try. However the drawing tool that i use (with a stylus) allowed me to digitally replicate the style of apply tool strokes and I used Darth Vader as a subject, tryiung to replicate the strokes shown by Leonid. I was quite pleased and surprised by how a series of broad stroke were able to form such a discernable and detailed image.

This took me into playing the glossy surface of Darth's evil mask and helmet (below):

 I started to enjoy drawing with liberal broad strokes of the pen, and applying bold contrasting colours to define lines.

This took me into experimenting with light. In this next picture Darth is holding his red light sabre - which is casting a light over the surface of his face, helmet and armour, creating this purple and pink hue. While the detail of the drawing is not very good, I enjoyed experimenting with coloura bit more and I like the effect - so it was a great lesson.

This picture of George Best (right) cam about using the same technique of apply 'paint' to the image with an edged tool. It gives a ruddy textured impression.

I'm fairly happy with it overall - it's far from perfect of course - but the eyes are reasonably expressive and it is more or less recognisable. 

As I mentioned in last weeks blog, for all his flaws, George Best was a hero of my childhood and to me it was a tragedy to see him taken by the illness of alcoholism. I took me repeated attempts to achieve any kind of reasonable resemblance at all.

This is a picture of Marie Curie. I reverted to the more traditional brush and pencil style that I feel more comfortable with. I was quite happy with this. As a black and white image I managed to carry over some of the lessons about dark and light that I took from the Darth Vader images, and I was also quite happy with the way that I presented the hand.

Marie Curie is an inspirational figure and I like to spend time drawing real genius, rather than just celebrity.

This took me - I'm not sure how - into a composition landscape piece that I'm still drawing at the moment. It's a social and politcal satire on our times. It's taking several days because there's lots of little details in it, perhaps I'll be able to share it next week.

Benjamin Wild

Today I met Benjamin Wild through Twitter. This young man is just 16 years old and has already accumulated eighty-thousand followers through his Twitter account @BenjaminWildArt. While this might sound incredible, it is really nothing when compared to his ability. Aside from the extremely high quality of his work, Benjamin surprises you even further still when you learn that his chosen medium is entirely digital - drawn on his iPad and iPhone - with his finger!

I took the opportunity to obtain an impromptu interview this morning.

Ben agreed to chat with me privately and opened up with a bright and laid back: 'Hey!'

Me: What applications do you use to draw on your iPad? Do you ever use a stylus?

Benjamin: Sketch Book Mobile of Brushes 3 when I do it on my iPhone and when I do it on my iPad I use 'Procreate' and I've been doing this 14 month and I never use a stylus, I always use my finger.

Me: You use your iPhone?

Benjamin: Yes I do.

Me: With your finger? Isn't that v difficult?

Benjamin: Yes and yes! Very! I have a YouTube Channel if you want to check it out? I don't use YouTube much now - more Facebook: Benjamin Wild Art (Facebook)

Me: Thank you! How old are you - do you sell your work yet?

Benjamin: I'm 16 and I have some up coming projects but nothing really yet.

Me: How long have you been drawing in this way?

Benjamin: 14 months.

Me: Do you draw in pens/pencils/paints on paper and canvas?

Benjamin: Yes I still do.

Me: How old were you when you started?

Benjamin: Drawing in general?

Me: Yes :-)

Benjamin: Since I was five

Me: Do you have any artists that have influenced your style? Who is your favourite?

Benjamin: John Lassiter.










Me: How would you describe your style?

Classic John Lassiter sketch (above)

Benjamin: Modern.

Me: What advice would you give to a child who loves drawing and dreams of a future in art?

Benjamin: Never give up and chase your dream!











I've been looking through Benjamin's work and I think it is genuinely outstanding. He is capable of such diversity - he has a commercial quality (which I do not look down on as a concept at all - not one bit - I really resent any snobbishness around that term). He also brings his own flavour and style too. He has the ability to take that John Lassiter quality forward to somewhere new.

I think that's the biggest challenge for Benjamin, but simply looking back through his recent work I can see a trajectory that is exceptionally promising. 


He has the ability to draw photo realistic portraiture. He also has the ability to draw simple, illustrative pictures that capture an immediately recognisable figure or facial expression.

His natural untrained ability is incredibly strong. Talent, call it what you will. 

I love this picture (right) for example. Such  a simple sketch in so many regards, but the execution is superb.

(left) Here we have a very John Lassiter style 'princess' type figure (Ariel?) with the classic thick flowing striking red hair and huge eyes. The simple and subversive use of tattoos takes it off in a direction towards the Banksy Dismaland quality - without fully embracing the nihilistic imagery that exists in that sub genre.

Here we have two absolutely classic Disney images - Dumbo and Mickey Mouse. They are executed with the professionalism of any in house Disney artist.

I look at this Mickey Mouse - with the standard pose - and I read 'here you go - this is ability - come and get me'. If a major animation studio doesn't snap this guy up I don't know what they're looking for.

For anyone who has any confusion that Benjamin isn't doing 'serious art' - I've chosen to display this (right). 

He is capable of emotive, dark under tones - edgy work that really contrasts the more commercially appealing, sweeter images of Lassiter - there is just a hint a darkness. 

You could see Benjamin Wild moving into noir animation and still life images. I find this exciting - I see absolutely no reason why this can't co-exist with his love of main stream Lassiter. Is it a contradiction? As Walt Whitman said himself - very well. This guy contains multitudes. 

I can't wait to see what creations are inevitably going to arrive. Eighty-thousand followers probably feel exactly the same way. I'll put it out there now - I think that Benjamin Wild has major options. He could go out to California and he could take Pixar to new and exciting places (why shouldn't he?). Likewise he could go in a different direction altogether and I wouldn't be surprise to see his work hanging in commercial galleries. I think that is an incredible situation for a young man of 16 in Manchester.

Many thanks to Benjamin for his contribution to this piece and for allowing me to use his images.