[steph]

Here's my first try for 2002. Made it this morning from a b&w newspaper photo of Mr. Alfred Heineken, founder of the famous Heineken breweries, died recently. C&C appreciated!

[zapman]

Hi steph,
Nice style, love the eye area, over all its good. one thing to change would be leftside background is standing out too much to me.

Can you tell me how you went about starting, working with this style and tolls you used. I am guessing you did this in Photoshop.

keep up the good work,
Nilesh

[steph]

Hi Zapman,

Thanks for your comments.

I draw it directly in Photoshop 5, without scan or sketches, looking at the photo.
I used brushes from 8 to 200 pixels, with 90 percent hardness and 100 percent opacity. Made a layer for the background and another for the drawing.
I began with the darker values, going with lighter touches as the work progressed.

[wigin]

personally i think it needs more purple in the face to balance it out...

[madmouth]

beautiful...and very interesting. you put a modern, playful colour scheme on a realist painting and it works so well. very cool