Point made.........

[Celia]

This is a study of my father who passed away in 1998........ this was so very much a common facial expression of his, and he seemed to be making his point.... as well he could........ this also happens to be one of my mother's favorite photographs of my father....... taken up at our cabin where he loved to be in the wide open spaces of the mountains.......... I've cropped the drawing rather than merge more than one scan........

celia

[Just Crystal]

This is great Celia, love the hat! Not that I know diddly about art, but I am wondering if the hand needs a little more shading. I have a hard time reading his fingers. Maybe it is just me though! Anyway, I like this alot, and I'm sure your mom will too! :clap:

[billiam]

very well done, i love the colors, and the ga. pacf. detail. it is a grand place to be, without everything chopped up. solitude of the wild. bill

[Celia]

I forgot to mention that the drawing is done with Prismacolor pencils on Canson Classic Cream drawing tablet, 11"x14", but cropped......... My father was 88 years old when he died, and he was about 84 when this picture was taken...... He was and is my hero....... He saw me through some really rough times, and was always by my side.... The best dad ever there was..... here is the reference photo.......

celia

[*Deirdre*]

Strong drawing Celia! I think you have captured the essence of him in it! :clap:

[Celia]

A little tweaking, including shading the hand a little more, Crystal,..... thanks for your input.......... billiam.......... I appreciate the fact that you understood my fathers love for the great out of doors, and his beloved mountains.... he was never happier than out in the wilderness with his family, either hunting, or not......... he loved to do his hunting around the campsite..... and quite ofted, he'd be the most successful one on the hunt.....

Deirdre......... thank you so much.......... he was so special to me, that I wanted to capture his wonderful, glad-to-be-alive self..........

celia

[Firstsister]

Celia, this is a strong portrait! Terrific likeness!

I love your title! LOL You've really captured the feeling that he's made his point and this is the END of the discussion! LOL

It's a great portrait, as is, but I can't help but feel you could take this a little further with your shading and defining of a few things. The ear looks a bit unfinished and I feel his eyeglass frames need to be darker. Also, his upper lip and mustache - I think if you darken them just a bit and cast a bit of a shadow under the nose this will look stronger. I'd love to see the lines defining his nose softened, especially around the nostril area where it meets the cheek - it would cast a tiny shadow rather than a hard line. Do you know what I mean? LOL

I hope you don't mind my suggestions - this is a wonderful portrait and you should be proud. A beautiful tribute to your Dad. :)

[Celia]

Paula......... not only do I not mind your suggestions..... I relish them..... you have such a wonderful eye, and I trust and admire your judgement greatly........ I worked on the piece, not only on the things which you so appropriately pointed out, but I noticed that his mouth wasn't quite right either......... let's try this on for size......

celia

[JayD]

I have been researching vinyl for a drawing called "Death Takes a Taxi to Copley Square" which I want to do in grayscale with colored pencil--I was looking at his jacket and it occurs to me that you may want to add a couple of more layers with the colored pencil and then burnish it to give it that shiny feel that the jacket in the photo has. I would leave the face and hair alone--the burnishing of the jacket could create great contrast--but you probably already know this because you are a real wizard with the pencils.

I love that hat--I think I would have really liked your father. :)

[Celia]

Hi Jay.......... thanks for stopping by.... yes, you would have loved my dad...... he was a "one of a kind"...... but a more live-and-let-live person, you'd never meet..... and he was honest and trustworthy.......... and he could invent anything that he needed to do something with....... he always had projects going, and he showed his love for his family in many ways other than the usual syrupy ways.......... he stood by me through hard times, and never gave me advice unless I asked for it......... not a common trait these days......... I still miss him every day...........

celia

[indiana_jim]

celia i think you done really nice on this,..the proportions and likeness are all there too,..i lost my dad last may so i can really relate..im not up to drawing him yet,..im surprised i can do artwork at all,..i always figured if i lost him id id call it quits for at least a year or something.i cant help ya out with the colored pencil part..so far i havent got past use the black one ;)

[Just Crystal]

I think this has turned out fantastically! (and the hand looks great by the way :D )

I love that your love for your father shows through so much in this portrait, makes it even more beautiful! :)

[Celia]

This is my final post on my father........ I changed his skin to a nice olive complexion......... he spent his young days as a cowboy, out in the elements, day after day...... and he was always tan....... I whitened his mustache again......... it was snow white the last twenty years of his life..... and I added some of the skin imperfections back that I had ignored when I first drew the portrait......... he would want every one of them...... this has been very cathartic for me, and I certainly am glad that I finally decided that I could handle it, tears or not......... I wanted to show my Dad as robust and decisive as he truly was........ but he listened, and understood other points of view........ what a great guy to have a philosophical discussion with........ I always learned something....... not always what I wanted to know........... but he always let me come to my own conclusions......... how's that for a great father?.........

celia

[Celia]

As a follow up, my three brothers and my sister all are very happy that I got this drawing done.......... I sent it to my Mom today........ she should have it in just a couple of days......... and the grandkids love it too......

thank you all for your wonderful eyes and helpful suggestions, as well as the beautiful comments ............ I appreciate the association here........

celia

[Daedalus]

Hi Celia... (your "favorite" nephew A.J. here...)

It's a good picture of Grandpa. I actually don't think I've seen that one. The Anderson Lumber hat is very familiar (I still have mine, a blue version. I always thought it was too ugly/bold to wear, but Grandpa always liked to be different, right?)

Grandpa was always in a class of his own, and I can't believe it was actually so long ago when he passed away, I do think about him often. Last year I was camping with my brother Scott and I happened to tell Scott that I agreed with Grandpa that the best winter sport is "sitting by the fireplace". Scott's simple response to that was "I miss Grandpa." That's the most emotion I've ever heard him say.

I'll make sure the picture doesn't get lost in Grandma's e-mail box.

Thanks for drawing this one. :clap:

[Celia]

What a thrill to see a post from AJ (my favorite nephew)........ he is an absolutely wonderful artist in his own right, and I hope that we'll be privileged to possibly see some of his work here on WC......... He's also a tall, dark and handsome batchelor, girls, so make it worth his while.........

the proud auntie celia

[Bronc]

I think you have captured your father exceptionally well, Celia, a terrific likeness...... Just reading between the lines ;) I would say you are pretty pleased with your effort on this one :clap:

[Celia]

Bronc..... Thank you so very much for your kind and perceptive comments........... yes, I am happy with this piece.......... not only was I happy with the work itself, I was happy working with my dad again.......... I always loved being side by side with him, a project, or a problem, he could always figure it out.......... by the way, I love the comment at the end of your posts.......... cute........

celia

[pencils4me]

Hi Celia! :wave: . Are you back yet?

Wow Dad looks great for his age! Would never guess he was that old by the photo. Very handsome gentelman.

I like your portrait. I see maybe the hoods of his eyes could be a little heavier, and the shading along his cheek a bit more - but ya done really good. You've certainly captured the spirit.

The wonderful thing about prismas is layering colors. Shading isn't just by filling with one color darker, but combining layers to do the work for you. Also lines, and edges, values, highlights and shadows are just as important in CP portaits as they are in graphite ones. I like the mood the logs bring to the background, but they compete with him because they are so bright. Try giving them a light wash of marine green to tone them down a little. Also soften the edges to recede away from dad.

TJ

[Celia]

Hey Toni..... How nice to hear from you...... actually, I never did leave this year.......... I had rotator cuff surgery July 9th, and have been preparing for, and recovering from, and now doing therapy for my shoulder problem since the end of last summer........ so I've had my Arizona summer......... and I'm working hard at getting my strength and range of motion back......... I didn't quit drawing, however......... one has to have priorities......

Thank you for stopping by and for your welcomed comments.......

celia