Some images virtually compel you to draw and paint them straight away, as was the case when I caught my first glimpse of this promotional image of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Fistful of Dollar’s’ movie.
Several other celebrity portraits I’ve done, also spring immediately to mind, the first being that of James Dean in the ‘East of Eden’ and ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ films.
Aside from some portraits I did at Ingram School Art Classes when I was about 14, including a chalk and charcoal rendering of Somerset Maugham, which I regret ever losing sight of – Dean’s was the first modern celebrity visage I recall portraying back in 1961, when I was 19 and working in the Special Services Art Studio at Mather and Crowther’s Advertising Agency in London WC2, all those years ago.
Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes also figure in my list, as do some people who just happen to be numbered amongst old friends and acquaintances of mine, one of whom is singer-songwriter, Kelvin James. I have recently scanned in and added an acrylic watercolour of Kelvin to my website that I painted in 1982, plus a lighthearted spoof of Kelvin’s January 1982 Fairfield Halls concert depicting Kelvin performing on stage with country steel-guitarist and six-string guitar-picker John Edmed and many-times-published-and-recorded guitarist songwriter Rod Harrison, who have both worked with more celebrities than you or I have had hot dinners.
The usual reaction with a portrait that you instantly know you want to draw is, I’ve just got to have a crack at this.
The Featured Clint Eastwood Sepia-on-Pale-Sage watercolour shown here is accompanied by a slide-show consisting of eight other images, shown as listed here:
Clint Eastwood Black Ink on Emerald Green pastecard [original artwork]
Clint Eastwood Blue Tint [deep blue on pale blue] [Photostudio version of Black Ink on Emerald]
Clint Eastwood Deep Purple on Pale Mustard [Photostudio variation of Featured Image]
Clint Eastwood Leaf-Green on Pale Grey-Blue [Photostudio variation of Featured Image]
Clint Eastwood Tint [Viridian on Pale Lilac] [Original duochrome Watercolour Painting]
Clint Eastwood Violet on Pale Biscuit [Photostudio variation of Featured Image]
Clint Eastwood [Mauve Tint] Deep Mauve on Pale Mauve [Photostudio version of Black Ink on Emerald]
Clint Eastwood Deep Red on Pale Apple Green [Photostudio variation of Featured Image]
Dave Draper March 2014
See Also:
John Edmed
Marilyn Monroe
Kelvin James
James Dean
Sherlock Holmes
Elvis Presley
All six of the above listed names now have individual entries in the Art Section of the Pulldown Menu. They can be accessed more easily under the Subsection labelled Portrait and are shown there in the order represented above.
Dave Draper June 2014