I work in a shop in a poor part of my city, where there is a large retired/disabled/unemployed segment of society. One of the regulars in my shop is an old man called Stuart. Stuart spends all day, everyday, as far as I can tell, drinking in one of the five nearby pubs. He’s nice enough, causes no trouble , and though I’ve never seen him sober, he’s talkative and pleasant. Recently Stuart told me that he was – is – an artist himself and that he always loves to paint and draw. He was kind enough to pose for a photo when I mentioned that I was also an artist, and that I was interested in painting more and more portraits.
This was my project for today, starting at around about midday and working until about 4 o’clock this afternoon. First I sketch an outline in charcoal then filled in the picture with midtone colour. Finally I worked in the shades and highlights, which is certainly the longest part of the portrait – I think it must have taken me the last three hours of the painting.
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