Portraits

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1. " Man with a cigarette " is a striking portrait I did with layered pen hatching. It displays the deep rich, dark tone of the man's complexion. I was satisfied with this piece, particularly because it was free handed, without much expectation of rather it would turn out be a keeper in my portfolio. It is also one of the first drawings, where I applied so much value with the Micron pens, regarding a portrait. I also like the way the unbuttoned, plaid shirt turned out, against his bare chest. 

2. " Portrait of a man wearing a robe " is another random portrait that I am satisfied with the outcome. This piece involved preliminary sketching, to get a clearer idea of what I wanted, as it especially relates to the placement of his hand. The gazing of his eyes, was important to me also. The streak of gray hair reminds me of the bride of Frankenstein of course! But I enjoy portraying middle aged men, or those approaching the period in their lives. I decided to add a pattern of candles along the robe, to symbolize a sense of meditation and spirituality in the man's life.

3. " Portrait of a man wearing a crown " is an Afrocentric approach to a man embracing his African heritage with pride and dignity. I find it very attractive, when certain men wear various head gear to compliment their appearance. Head pieces of cultural significance is something I like to add to help express the personality of the subject I chose to draw.

4. " Portrait of a man with  receding hair # 3 " apparently took three attempts, to come to a conclusion that I did my best with this portrait. I forgot about one of the preliminary sketches. This piece, like " Man with cigarette " is another multilayered hatch work of a drawing. The dark skin tone of his complexion turned out even more successful than the former drawing. The blending of hatch marks are more smoothly executed, as I grew more confident in the technique. There have been several men, I found to be very attractive with receding hair. This is not something I necessarily see as a flaw of a man's feature. I think it adds a special character of masculinity to their appearance quite often. 

5. " Ceremony for the birds " combines a sense of pride in heritage, identity, festivity and culture. It symbolizes a pagan approach to nature. Many indigenous cultures have their distinct way of embracing and appreciating nature. This was an idea I had of combining this approach, from an Afrocentric perspective. It was interesting and exciting, to create the effect of the white paint on the man's face. I also like the way the feathers turned out in this drawing. The streak of white hair in the man's beard makes him especially handsome. 

6. " Portrait of a man wearing beads " is a pen and wash drawing, that was inspired by a man I saw on the news, one evening. He was speaking during a brief interview with a news anchor. He was a student at Morehouse college. I remember him being strikingly handsome. There were these dark beads closely worn around his neck, almost like a choker. It was very appealing to me, especially because I went through a period of wearing beaded necklaces, that were mostly self made. I added the books and a sign that reads " Read, Grow, Learn " if it were seen in its entirety. This symbolizes the positive aspects of black men viewed in the media, that are often overlooked. This was an educated, articulate and attractive man who wasn't represented by a mugshot on the news.