Enticements - Portrait Study on Canvas

• This drawing has a long and interesting history that is well worth the read if you're into inspiration stories!  It was created as a precursor to my first commissioned oil painting which sold for $5,000, and ended up being the cornerstone of my second career as an artist, truly challenging me to my very core. It is a 40"x30" motorcycle portrait that took shape over 292 hours of weekend time over a one-year period, drawn completely by hand, my only tools were a fine point mechanical 2b pencil, a stump, a ruler and calculator for perspective, a file and a clickable eraser.  I used 3 different 8 1/2" by 11" reference photos that I took of the subject using my iphone camera.  I am told that the size of the drawing and subtrate add to the awe factor.

The drawing started out to be an oil painting, commissioned by a co-worker, shortly after I decided I wanted to take up oil painting as a hobby.  Although I laughed at the request, I took on the challenge, warning my co-worker, I had no idea how to accomplish such a thing. His belief in me, after seeing a silly goblin I painted as a Halloween decoration, was steadfast. So… after taking several reference photos of my client on his motorcycle, I began the effort by trying to loosely sketch out the composition on the canvas before trying to paint it in oil. As I struggled to “find” the drawing, I realized the difficulties of perspective and dimension… and so began my studies and practice, directly onto that 30”x40” canvas. The result, after 290 hours (working nights and weekends around my full-time job in IT), was a meticulously detailed pencil "study" of the motorcycle portrait. The pencil drawing was such a hit I entered it in two competitions. It won awards in both… Top 15% Judges Choice in the April 2013 Bold Brush contest, and a Third Place Finalist award in Brian Neher's International 2013 "You be the Judge" Art Competion. A huge honor!! It was also displayed in the Harley Davidson shop in Little Italy in San Diego, and was compared to the work of Scott Jacobs, the official Harley Davidson Artist, by both the owner of Harley Davidson himself, and the owner of Chrome Digital, who regularly photographed Scott Jacob's work. Amazing accolades for a beginning artist with no training and little experience.

My client, still wanted an oil painting, and so began my studies on the intricacies and techniques of oil painting. The finished piece was truly my "Masterpiece" even though I had not had any opportunities to train with Master Artists.  I did indeed gain most of my experience, and learned most of what I know about drawing and fine art oil painting, from this one commissioned piece... discovering techniques on my own, reading blogs and art magazines, and watching You Tube videos.

My client happily paid what he felt the piece was worth ($5,000) based on artwork he had purchased from known famous artists, such as Scotty Ziegler. This piece now resides in Texas, however, I am now taking orders for professional numbered and authenticated, limited Giclee prints of the painting. Please contact me if you are interested.

This original 30”x40” pencil drawing remains in my possession as a part of my private collection.