Illustration Friday: Capable

This is the reason I could never be a portrait artist--my people never look like who they're supposed to look like. And it's because I'm too "loose" with my reference material. I look to it for the details that I wouldn't be able to imagine myself, but it doesn't really matter all that much to me, so it's just a touchpoint, and not the gospel truth. But this is my sweetie. My son was looking at the picture and said, "but he doesn't look like that," and no he doesn't. When I was doing the ink, or maybe when I was putting on the mask, or even when I was sketching, I somehow let the face get too wide. And then once I started inking the ears, it couldn't be fixed. So this is what my sweetie might look like if his face were really round instead of long. I'm okay with that, though. This isn't a portrait. What was important in this picture for me was his expression, which this totally got, and the way-cool design of the sweatshirt hood and multiple layers he was wearing. Also the texture.

But as far as capable goes, he is it. He makes his living as a handy-man, and can fix or build anything--beautifully. He doesn't make as much money as he could because he also spends much of his time growing figs and other cool things, and researching, and playing music. That's the way life should be, and this picture feels like that to me, and it really doesn't matter who he looks like. When you make a picture, the person in the picture becomes real.