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John Lennon 2

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Published:
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Description

Commissioned Lennon portrait

Charcoal on paper

11x14"
Image size
1006x1338px 156.02 KB
© 2009 - 2024 mentalpony
Comments19
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ffxauron's avatar
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Overall
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Vision
:star::star::star::star::star-empty: Originality
:star::star::star::star::star-half: Technique
:star::star::star::star-half::star-empty: Impact

Very well crafted. You managed very well to capture the likeness of John Lennon. Instantly, one can recognize subject upon first glance. The technique is fantastic, though not perfect. I am very much impressed by the detail captured on the face and within the sunglasses especially. But in certain areas on the hands and fingers, varying gradients seem to be missing, causing those areas to appear flat. The hair is expertly rendered, and when viewed in the smaller thumbnail, appears very real with multiple layers overlapping. But once observed up close, the charcoal strokes become noticeable and the realism looses some of it's sensation. On a positive, the care taken to render Lennon's arm hair while still maintaining the smooth, dark field of black behind it is outstanding. So while the hair is drawn beautifully, there is still room for improvement to make it seem all that more real.

The composition is great. I greatly enjoy Lennon's posture in the drawing. He is leaning forward ever slow slightly to create a sense of intimacy without being too much so that it would be encroachment. The dark environment also does well so enhance this as there is a large field of solid black, forcing the viewer's eyes to concentrate on the multiple details of his face. The window is effectively adding a counter to all the black and a balance between the figural and spacial fields. One thing I would have liked to see though is some greater sharpness in the details of Lennon's face to create greater focus against the blurred objects in the background. Doing so would also do well to enhance that feeling of intimacy. But this draws back to the technical aspect of drawing, which is a continual process of improvement.

Overall, it is a great picture that depicts the thoughtful inquisitiveness of an artistic genius. But I fear that without anything greatly spectacular to make it stand out, it will be forgotten among a sea of John Lennon portraits and tributes.