self-portrait

Before continuing to experiment with using digitally distorted photos as underpainting for final images, I thought I'd see if I could still simply do a totally eyeballed picture - no tracing, no sampling, just using a photo reference. So, here's a self portrait done that way - just eyeballed. It's been several years since I've done a portrait this way.

http://www.mojoko.com/eza.portraits/self_eyeball.jpg

details:

http://www.mojoko.com/eza.portraits/self_eyeball.1.jpg

http://www.mojoko.com/eza.portraits/self_eyeball.2.jpg

http://www.mojoko.com/eza.portraits/self_eyeball.ref.jpg:The photo reference

OK... now back to the serious work of using the digital medium the way it's meant to be used... cheat, cheat, cheat... -- just joking. I don't consider digital tracing, filtering or sampling as cheating. They're just some of the incredible options available with this extraordinary medium. I may try this same reference photo using the distorted photo underpainting method I've been working with - It'll certainly go faster (the above version took about 10-12 hours), but I'd like to see how it ends up... if it looks any different.

*USE LINKS!!!!!!!*

What's to say? Stunning portrait as ever.

man that's great. the face and specially the beard are amazing. that's crazy but on the detail it looks as if you carved the image out of paints. nice work.
something really buggs me about the arm and the hand though. it looks like as if someone else has their hand on your head. i don't know weather it's the angle or the flatness of it.

Phil...you live so close to me that I really ought to insinuate myself an invite to your studio some weekend afternoon to have a look over your shoulder while you work.

Love it, as always.

Pick me up on the way then Utopian I only live in Cheltenham (UK);)

WOW!! :eek:

Once again eyewoo... I stand amazed. I just love the detail that you take the time to put into your work. Awesome. Nice work man

beautiful...as usual

i always love looking at your portraits/drawings ... they're all stunning ..

Edit ... what size is this? .. looks like it's pretty big and I'm pretty lost when i start up a document for this sort of job.. I have absolutely no idea what size is optimal.. I know it depends on a lot of thing, i'm just asking what you usually do?

casual... I pretty much make all my pictures for printing on an ink jet printer at up to 5 or 6 feet in width. Since an ink jet printer prints well at 150 ppi, the math is simple -- 7200 to 9000 pixels in width. This one was a bit smaller, about 3 x 3 feet, so it's about 4800 pixels square.