Chesty!

Saint Chesty

This is a caricature I did for a class a couple summers ago, while I was getting my Master of Fine Arts in Illustration degree from the University of Hartford.

The class was taught by none other than the great Chris Payne, an illustrator whose work has graced the covers of the best magazines in the nation (he's also a scholar and gentlemen, and an excellent conversationalist).

He taught us his process for caricature, and we had a couple days to "master" it (if that's possible!) and bring the work from sketch to completion for critique day. It was fun and intensely challenging all at once.

Caricature, if nothing else, is difficult-- much more difficult than people usually believe. Not only must the artist understand portraiture, but he must also understand how to exaggerate the features of an individual while maintaining a likeness!

My cover's off to Mr. Payne, and to all who venture the wilds of caricature.

Good Afternoon, Chesty, Wherever You Are...

As you know, I've been utilizing the Monotype process I learned while at my MFA session at the Hartford Art School...

Here's a monotype portrait of Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, a legend in Marine Corps history (and an interesting face for a portrait artist to try and tackle!):

I'm pleased with the variation in tone and texture that the monotype process gives, and its sort of "controlled looseness". And though the portrait here is not perfect, I am pleased with the piece as a whole (notice the fingerprint lines in the black tones, especially in the eyes, which look a bit like engraving marks).