This is an oil pastel drawing of an ocean seascape at sunrise. The oil pastel medium lends itself to smudging and smearing techniques, as well as scraping away layers to reveal colors underneath. The drawing also reflects an impressionistic style with a little bit of chaotic line work, noticeable in the clouds and water. The suggestion of dirt, rocks, sand, and a palm tree begin to frame and weight the artwork as well.
These pen and marker drawings are part of an abstract expressionistic body of artwork entitled Portraits and Faces Series 2. They are a series of three faces drawn with energetic and expressive shapes, blocks of color, and frantic lines to produce abstract portraits that appear to be emerging and constructing themselves from the ink and paint mediums on the surface of the paper. Prominent facial features are emphasized, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, so that amidst the predominantly abstract compositions it is still possible to make out the faces peering back. The chaotic atmosphere builds the structure of the faces by utilizing techniques such as layering and chiaroscuro to produce varying combinations of opaque and transparent color. Each piece of expressive abstract art is roughly 9″x12″, and a unique mix of emotions are portrayed in each portrait drawing.
For more colorful portrait art, view the abstract impressionistic drawings entitled Portraits and Faces Series 1 – Impressionistic Oil Pastel Drawings, or this Colorful Abstract Drawing of a Woman’s Face.
These oil pastel drawings are part of an abstract impressionistic body of artwork entitled Portraits and Faces Series 1. They are a series of five faces drawn with energetic and expressive lines and colors to produce abstract portraits that appear to be emerging from the oil pastel medium and the surface of the paper. The structure of the faces grow fluidly from the chaotic drawing medium by utilizing techniques such as smudging and scratching to produce varying combinations of gradient colors and stark contrast. Each piece of expressive art is roughly 9″x12″, and each subject conveys emotions unique to each drawing. Emphasis is placed on prominent facial features, such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, so that facial recognition is possible amidst the predominantly abstract compositions.
For more colorful portrait art, view the abstract expressionistic drawings entitled Portraits and Faces Series 2 – Abstract Pen and Marker Drawings, or this Abstract Drawing of a Face.
This is a colorful and slightly abstracted drawing of a woman’s face. The eyes, nose, and mouth were detailed in pen, but larger areas of color were applied over, underneath, and around the facial features. A mix of pens, paint pens, markers, and watercolor were used to create the artwork. The drawing utilizes tension with wild and expressive mark making in contrast to the carefully rendered eyes.
These two colorful portraits of a woman and a man were drawn with markers in 2002, and are approximately 8″ x 5″. Both portraits were drawn in a very loose and expressive style with unconventional color palettes to create tension. The expressions on their faces also provide insight about the uneasiness of the art. Colorful markers of varying thicknesses and shades of grey were used to layer the shapes and colors of each drawing in stages. In some places the markers started to run out of ink, so the same colors from fresh markers were applied over faded areas. This helps to create more depth in the shadows. Also, the vivid oranges and reds bring a heightened energy and intensity to the portraits and offsets the darker areas.
This colorful abstract drawing of a woman’s profile was sketched with markers and white acrylic paint. Thin blue pen lines were initially used to sketch in her profile. Layers of blue and black marker where then used to fill in patterns and shapes in and around the woman’s face. Sometimes the shapes indicate shadows, or define contour, or they are just expressive mark making that affects the composition of the art. White acrylic paint was used to add hot spots and highlights. In some areas of the drawing, the black marker started to fade out while blocking in thick lines, which also adds to the rough unfinished feeling in the art. And the portrait drawing is honest in its mistakes and successes, from the boldness of the initial sketch to the transparency of the finished drawing.
In keeping with the tradition of Egyptian themed drawings, here is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is traditionally reserved for mummified bodies of dead Egyptian pharaohs, so the face was detailed with deep cheekbones, eye sockets, and an emaciated look. The charcoal medium was used to draw quick energetic lines and create the structure of the sarcophagus. After blending and pushing the black charcoal around, sanguine sepia and white chalk was used to add the lighter gold portions around the headdress and face. The black charcoal was then used again to sketch in deep shadows by redrawing similar line paths multiple times. This helps to create unusually deep, dark shadows in the drawing that are not fully reproducible in a digital format. There is a sense of weight and depression to the drawing, thus making the clear white background all the more striking.
This is a charcoal drawing of an Egyptian Sphinx, which was sketched in 1998. Heavy black charcoal lines were used to energetically draw the structure of the sphinx. Quickly moving from one area of the page to another helps to keep perspective on the whole drawing. Shadows were pushed very dark, and the white highlights are emphasized with chalk. White chalk was even used to fill in white areas of the paper, and blend some of the crisp charcoal lines. Sanguine sepia is used to highlight angles and perspective lines in the drawing of the Egyptian sphinx, which also helps to lead the viewers eye through the art and creates a sense of movement.
These 3 drawings of hands were created with pen, watercolor, markers, and a little bit of acrylic paint in an expressionistic style. The hand studies were drawn with energetic lines and bright, vibrant colors. The last work of art is a close up of a thumb. My first art teacher always told me you can never draw enough hand studies.
