Adam

This is an experimental watercolour painting using a photograph of my brother as reference. It turned out very differently than i had initially expected. I was aiming to create a 'realistic' portrait but i ended up experimenting with colour and line. It was refreshing to try out something new. I tried to emphasize characteristics that are unique to my brother, such as the beauty mark and his eyebrows, while simplifying the rest of the piece by adding and removing colour. I also tried to give particular emphasis to the eyes, so that they stand out. When i look at the work, i can see traces of Elizabeth Peyton, Jonathan Darby, Storm Tharp and Marlene Dumas.

Close-ups of the work

Portrait of Melissa

For this painting, I was inspired by Melissa's 'Bring a Cartoon Character to Life' series. Inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's paintings and Japanese manga, Melissa tried to turn herself into a real life doll/cartoon character. This one is based off on one of the photographs i took while she was preparing herself. I really liked the calm expression on her face and the fact that only her lower lip was painted at that point. It took me about 8-9 hours to complete. I'm thinking of creating more work based on the photographs in the future. More information about her work can be found on her blog: http://funny-phantom.blogspot.co.uk/

--->Face details