Portrait Of Math Is Hard by zoobyshoe

[zoobyshoe]

Zoob, very nice work.

It's uncanny that you should say that. The first thought that entered my head when I read the thread title was Joyce!

Not really uncanny. I actually already launched 1000 stupid quetions with a paraphrase of that Joyce title. Well, three or four anyway.

 

[sara_87]

wow zoobyshoe that is an amazing picture!

i find it very difficult to draw anyone that i don't think is beautiful...the picture just doesn't come out the same as when you draw someone that you have feelings for and you think is gorgeous

it is clear to see that you really like MIH... or your just super super good at drawing?

 

[zoobyshoe]

wow zoobyshoe that is an amazing picture!

Thank you very, very much.

i find it very difficult to draw anyone that i don't think is beautiful...the picture just doesn't come out the same as when you draw someone that you have feelings for and you think is gorgeous

it is clear to see that you really like MIH... or your just super super good at drawing?

Since you're a portrait artist, too, I'll answer in depth.

By way of illustrating my take on this subject, here's my portrait of Thomas Edison:

I don't like Edison, I don't feel warmth toward him, but I'm deeply fascinated by him, by the kind of man he was and by the impact he had on the world. I chose a reference photo that I felt would afford me the most opportunities to emphasize all kinds of negative character traits while also conveying the fact he was a force to be reakoned with. I find his direct, cold stare to be both an act of agression and an expression of his arrogance.

The rest of his features are not refined, but kind of thick and clumsy in a way that suggests a bully to me, and there's an unkempt edge to the hair that says "I don't care for niceties".

This drawing of Edison is every bit as backed up by emotional reaction on my part as the one I did of Math Is Hard. It's technically just as good, maybe better.

The main difference between the two is subject matter. People would much, much rather look at a beautiful face with a pleasant, serene expression than at an aggressive looking business man eyeballing them as if he's figuring out how he might exploit them. If you go back to the beginning of this thread and read my post #15 you'll see where I give the story of how this portrait of Math is Hard was received on an art forum served as a revelation to me about the importance of subject matter.

So, while I don't feel any inclination to draw someone unless they elicit a strong emotional reaction from me, that reaction doesn't have to be limited to thinking they're beautiful. I just have to find them compelling, attention-getting in some way, and I'll put a lot into the drawing. The ones people prefer to look at, though, are the ones where it's clear I have expressed a positive range of reactions to the subject.