Scruff

“Scruff” is definitely a favorite of mine.  It’s a favorite because I love faces, especially handsome ones.  Beautiful bodies are great, but there is something about a stunningly handsome face that can stop us in our tracks.  That iconic look, like Pete Kuzak’s look, takes your breath away.  Well, it takes my breath away.  Striking facial features, like those of Kellan Lutz, Jason Statham, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Worthington, Matthew Fox, Shemar Moore, Bradley Cooper, Cameron Mathison, Rock Hudson, Marlon Brando and John Gavin are the fantasies of wet dreams.

While “Scruff” does not look exactly like the model, it does resemble him.  Because my work is stylized and graphic, it makes portraiture less convincing, to some.  I hope to get better, with practice and time, at creating more accurate or convincing portraits.  That being said, I think capturing the likeness of someone’s face is one of the most difficult tasks an artist can take on. 

“Scruff” was drawn and inked back in the mid 1990s.  It has been updated for the blog, with the color applied using Photoshop.  Back then it was painted with gouache and the line work was, of course, India ink.  The updated Photoshop coloring is very similar to the color feeling from the mid 1990s.  The major design changes are: the dot pattern over the blue field was added as was the stripe pattern on the seafoam green field.  These patterns were added because I felt the piece was lacking.  It looked boring.  It definitely needed some activity in the background, but not too much to take away from the model’s face.  While the 1990s piece did have very dense facial hair, I added additional scruff creating a soon-to-be-completed goatee.  I also revised his lips some, making them fuller.  I think a man’s lips can be one of the sexiest features on his face.