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An Ode to A Nose.
I've had this reference sitting in my potential portrait pile for A While now. It's a very fine example of using lighting, color, and pose to create a sense of movement in a still medium.
Adam was in his slender poet phase, hair trimmed neatly for his role as Paterson, his cheekbones a little sharp, though some of that could be the position of his face relative to the camera. The view gives us a special appreciation for the prominence of his nose, as well as the beautifully straight set to the bridge. It's easy to forget, when looking at him straight on, just how much depth there is to his face; looking down from above reveals the eagle keen angles of the set of his brow, cheeks, and nose.
That magnificent nose, and the set of Adam's shoulders, creates a diagonal that pulls our eyes downward across the page from left to right, following his gaze as if we were reading. Once we get to the lower right corner though, the lighting takes our eyes on another journey across the page in a diagonal perpendicular to that first one.
I love that not only are the lights opposite each other in placement (one from above and to his left, the other low and to his right), they're also complimentary in color (orangey-yellow/blue-green). That tension between the colors, the lighting, and the pose means that our eyes keep drawing lazy X's across the page, pulled from one corner to another over and over, exploring the nooks and crannies of Adam's face.
And how much do I adore the light shining gently through the delicate shell of his ear? So much. I used a color gradient overlay specifically so I could try to catch that, and I'm pleased to say I think it worked.
Photo used for reference taken by Marco Grob on 25 Oct 2015.
About 8.5 hours of drawing time. Ish. I will confess to forgetting to reset my timer several times during this one.
I've had this reference sitting in my potential portrait pile for A While now. It's a very fine example of using lighting, color, and pose to create a sense of movement in a still medium.
Adam was in his slender poet phase, hair trimmed neatly for his role as Paterson, his cheekbones a little sharp, though some of that could be the position of his face relative to the camera. The view gives us a special appreciation for the prominence of his nose, as well as the beautifully straight set to the bridge. It's easy to forget, when looking at him straight on, just how much depth there is to his face; looking down from above reveals the eagle keen angles of the set of his brow, cheeks, and nose.
That magnificent nose, and the set of Adam's shoulders, creates a diagonal that pulls our eyes downward across the page from left to right, following his gaze as if we were reading. Once we get to the lower right corner though, the lighting takes our eyes on another journey across the page in a diagonal perpendicular to that first one.
I love that not only are the lights opposite each other in placement (one from above and to his left, the other low and to his right), they're also complimentary in color (orangey-yellow/blue-green). That tension between the colors, the lighting, and the pose means that our eyes keep drawing lazy X's across the page, pulled from one corner to another over and over, exploring the nooks and crannies of Adam's face.
And how much do I adore the light shining gently through the delicate shell of his ear? So much. I used a color gradient overlay specifically so I could try to catch that, and I'm pleased to say I think it worked.
Photo used for reference taken by Marco Grob on 25 Oct 2015.
About 8.5 hours of drawing time. Ish. I will confess to forgetting to reset my timer several times during this one.
