Pencil Art

[bobhopefan1940]

Hello!

Well, I do a little drawing here and there, mainly portraits. I started at a very young age but it has been off and on since then Since I came to enjoy classics, I have had a few actors that I have made portraits of. Here I'll show two of my favorite actors, Robert Montgomery and William Powell.
I'd like to have any thoughts or suggestions on these (especially from you, pktrekgirl). One of them I have posted in a forum before, but the Bobby M one I have not. This one I don't have any longer, I drew it as a gift to a friend of mine for helping me acquire some rare Bob classics! So, here they are:

William Powell,


Robert Montgomery,


I'm planning one for Buster Keaton, I just need to get the right image.

Thanks -
Danny

[pktrekgirl]

Oh my goodness!!! Those are INCREDIBLE!!!!!

You are *extremely* talented! They are both just incredible likenesses!!!

Wow....I could *never* do anything like that. That is REAL art!!!

Wow..just beautiful!

Tell me, how long does something like that take to do?

I am REALLY, REALLY impressed!

And William Powell is one of my faves, so you even picked a great subject!

[pktrekgirl]

"A little drawing here and there".

Yeah...just 'a little'.



Incredible!

[bobhopefan1940]

Awww, your toomuch! Thank you, coming from you it really is a compliment But I'm not a very good artist, I cannot draw very often I get the equivalent of "writer's block" for the artist, lol.

Let me see... The William Powell one took me probably about 7 hours to do the full scale, then a couple more to do the touch ups. The RM (much smaller), took me about 5 hours with touch ups included. It's the first real portrait drawing I have done in six months! I was happy to get it done...

Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement

[movieman1957]

Danny:

They are wonderful. Such talent. People tell me I have lovely handwriting (for a guy) but I can't draw worth anything.

They really are very good.

[benwhowell]

Hi, Danny
I'm glad to see you here and THANKS for sharing your drawings with us!! They are wonderful! Looking forward to seeing more...

[ken123]

Beautiful

[pktrekgirl]

Awww, your toomuch! Thank you, coming from you it really is a compliment But I'm not a very good artist, I cannot draw very often I get the equivalent of "writer's block" for the artist, lol.

Well, I'm no artist. Not like you are. I play around with a computer program is all. You can SEE stuff. I have always admired people who can do that!

I am one of those 'art appreciators'. I've traveled all over the world and have spent days and days of my life in some of the most wonderful museums in the world. But I couldn't do it myself. Not in a million years! I wish that I could...but I was given appreciation...but sadly, no talent.

Not for real art, anyway.

I think that's one of the reasons I love doing PhotoShop. Because I can control it - play around with it until I like it. I don't have to start over every time I do something that doesn't satisfy me.

The other thing I do pretty well is build and decorate houses in that computer game The Sims 2. I love decorating especially. That also sorta helps satisfy the EXTREMELY frustrated artist in me!

If it's on computers, I can learn it and apply my 'eye' for art. But to pick up a pencil and do what you do? I wouldn't even know where to begin!

Those are just stunning.

Now all you need to do is one of Gary Cooper, and we'll all be happy!

Seriously - I'd frame it!

Let me see... The William Powell one took me probably about 7 hours to do the full scale, then a couple more to do the touch ups. The RM (much smaller), took me about 5 hours with touch ups included. It's the first real portrait drawing I have done in six months! I was happy to get it done...

Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement

Well, I hope you keep doing them! And I'd just love to see what you do and hope you keep sharing it with us! I *really* think you are selling yourself short. I mean, I see drawings of classic film stars all the time...but you have TOTALLY nailed both of those guys! And I'm especially impressed with the way you nailed William Powell's eyes. Sometimes the eyes in a drawing just don't look like the person's real 'look' - and I would suspect it's really hard to capture that essence.

But you nailed him perfectly.

Well done!

[bobhopefan1940]

I'm afraid you are all building them up for more than they are worth, but I thank you for it

Hi Ben! It's nice to see you here, and Ken! Chris, always a pleasure

pk:

Oh, my gosh... How can you even compare what you do to my drawings? I only pick up a pencil and that's it, but you do stuff with the computer that I could NOT even begin to do! You are especially a designer, from the first time I saw your work with wallpapers it was like nothing else I have seen on the net or anywhere I really appreciate what you do (I'm a fan, can you tell? ) mainly because you give that professional quality to everything you do, it really gives a great frontage for the classics

Now all you need to do is one of Gary Cooper, and we'll all be happy!

Seriously - I'd frame it!

Oh I started on one, early on. I got everything done except the face, something about that face is hard to capture in a drawing! Maybe I'll try again... I have a silent era pic of him that is my favorite.

Sometimes the eyes in a drawing just don't look like the person's real 'look' - and I would suspect it's really hard to capture that essence.

You're right, the eyes are the most difficult but critical part of the drawing Very stressful and tedious!

Thanks again

[Ayres]

Those are gorgeous, and excellent likenesses. You could be an illustrator. Seriously.

[bobhopefan1940]

Oh, I don't think so but thank you! Love your avatar, by the way

[pktrekgirl]

I really do think you are selling yourself short, BobHopeFan.

I guess it's sort of funny....if you aren't able to do something yourself, when someone else can do it you are sooooo impressed.

So here we sit - you think my graphics stuff is better...and I think your drawing is better.

Of course, I'd be interested in seeing anything you did. But if you ever do Gary Cooper, I DEFINITELY wanna at the head of the line for THAT!

It's interesting that you say there is something about his face that is difficult to capture. Because as someone who has spent ALOT of time working in great detail with photos of Gary Cooper...I think it's because with Coop, both his eyes AND his mouth are difficult to capture correctly....and especially to make them 'match' with each other to form a particular expression. I don't know how to put it in artists terms....but I think that would be my feeling if I was able to draw.

What do you think about this theory?

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Wonderful drawings. William Powell is one of my favorites. I wish an updated bio would just majically appear somewhere...

You are good!!

[bobhopefan1940]

Thanks, Sue Sue... All of you are so encouraging My family have always encouraged me to do art, but I have never wanted to get into it very deeply.

It's interesting that you say there is something about his face that is difficult to capture. Because as someone who has spent ALOT of time working in great detail with photos of Gary Cooper...I think it's because with Coop, both his eyes AND his mouth are difficult to capture correctly....and especially to make them 'match' with each other to form a particular expression. I don't know how to put it in artists terms....but I think that would be my feeling if I was able to draw.

What do you think about this theory?

I agree! Yes... Gary Cooper is - hmmm - special, shall we say? Not in a bad way, but from my perspective and from a drawing perspective the most important thing about a portrait is the "expression", just as you say.

I once drew a portraight of an actor, I think it was Jimmy Stewart. When I was done, I showed it to someone who didn't know who Jimmy was... They thought the drawing was alright, but I hated that drawing! Because I lost something in the translation... He did not have "that look." The person I showed it to didn't notice the missing elements, but I know if I had shown it to a fan of Stewart's they would have noticed immediately - And that's the way it is with Gary Cooper - If that makes any sense at all! Because even if you draw something that is respectable and the average person thinks it looks ok, you are missing the purpose of the art if it does not capture the spirit of the one you are drawing. Gary has a very difficult look to capture, because it is so suttle. He says volumes with just his eyes, and that is very hard to capture in a portrait.

That's why I don't like to draw people I don't feel a connection with... It's like being blind. If someone were to come up to me and say "draw Bette Davis" I wouldn't know where to begin. That's why I'm tainted

*takes big breath* Sorry, I get chatty in the mornings I'll shut up now...

[pktrekgirl]

^ Hey! Don't be sorry! It's a great conversation!

And that is neat that we agree upon why it might be especially hard to draw Coop and make it work. It makes me feel good to have someone who does 'real' art tell me that my suspicions about him are correct, as to why he'd be difficult to capture.

He has often been accused of being the stereotypical 'strong silent type'. So it would seem to me that being able to communicate with only a look would have been essential.

To me, when you look at these guys, looking at one is not the same as looking at another, in terms of how well you get to 'know' them through their photos. I think some 'give away' more than others do about who they are and what's inside them. Does that make sense?

Sometimes when I look at certain photos of certain actors, I almost cannot look into their eyes for very long - it makes me feel uncomfortable in a way, because they give away alot and I feel like I'm 'intruding' on their private place.

Does that sound weird?

It's like some of them...when you look at a photo of them looking straight into the camera, you FEEL like they are merely looking straight into a camera. More impersonal.

But some, you feel like they are looking past the camera at YOU...and it is sort of unsettling.

But in a good way once you adjust to it.

I think Gary Cooper is one of those who looks past the camera quite often. Whereas Clark Gable, for example, is pretty much always looking into the camera itself, and not past it...and as a result, doesn't give away much. Bogie is another one who looks into the camera but not past it to the person(s) beyond....except in ONE candid photo I have of him - in a photo with Errol Flynn, of all people. Bogie is laughing into the camera and Flynn is looking up at him from below (he's seated in front of him and Flynn is not looking into the the camera at all)...but in THAT photo, you 'get' Humphrey Bogart.

It's fascinating.

Am I crazy? Imagining things? What do you think?