Playing with Portraits

A few weeks ago, I did a really fun thing.

I attended a "Draw Your Neighbor" event put on by Johnny Carrillo and the 4th Avenue Coalition Space here in Tucson. I have to admit, it's always a little intimidating to draw in front of other people. It's even more intimidating when you're drawing an actual person and it's supposed to kind of resemble them!

Thankfully, Johnny did such a wonderful job of creating a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere that any nerves quickly disappeared. We rotated around the room, doing a mix of blind contour drawings, quick sketches, and several longer 20-minute studies. It was a great way to loosen up, practice observation, and get to know the people sitting across from me.

When I got home, I started painting from the sketches. I wasn't interested in creating realistic portraits- as you can probably tell from these images! Instead, I used the drawings as a jumping-off point, playing with shape, color, and some of the expressive lines that emerged during the sketching process.

There was something really freeing about working this way. Because I wasn't focused on accuracy, I found myself paying more attention to the personality of the marks, the relationships between shapes, and the opportunities for unexpected color.

It's always exciting when a new process opens a door, and this one definitely did. I enjoyed the results and, more importantly, enjoyed the experience of making them. I have a feeling I'll be exploring this approach a lot more in the future.

--Michelle