The finalized piece.
I began by drawing from reference of a selfie of mine. I broke the light and shading up into large geometric shapes - not my usual method, but I wanted to completely break my formula and try something new.
After creating the geometric sketch, I draw a typical "soft-lined' sketch on top.
Once I had my sketches, I filled in the large areas of color.
Using only solid opaque brushes, I painted over the underpainting.
I wanted to push this in a very stylized direction, so I added exaggerated light and shadow lines.
This is a self-portrait and style experiment I undertook to shake up my regular painting process and branch out in new directions. I took inspiration from JC Leyendecker's art style. I wanted to create a realistically proportioned portrait that also had bold, beyond-realistic lighting and brush strokes.
I worked on this piece for a few hours a day over two days.
