Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 20 - A slogan worn with pride
It was important to Cheri to have this shirt-patch included on Larry’s shirt. When you read Cheri’s words you’ll understand why. From...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 13, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 19 - Something small but meaningful
A portrait artist can often include things that are deeply meaningful to the client, which are not there in the reference photo. There...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 9, 20243 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 18 - Fixed it!
In my previous post I shared what a mess I made of the heart-shaped vignette. (The watercolor-wash-gone-wrong.) I’ve been working on it...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 7, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 17 - Oops....
Continuing “Cheri and Larry”…. This album shows how I used watercolor wash to add the big chunks of color for their t-shirts and...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 4, 20245 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 16 - Emerging from the grey...
Both heads finished now. Whew! The hard part is done. Cheri wrote: “With this glorious work of art of us - with his eyes shining the way...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 26, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 15 - That smile
Larry’s smile finished. The words Cheri wrote about it are below the picture. Larry's beard color (“5 o'clock shadow”) is very close to...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 23, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 14 - Blending smooth skin
Working on Larry’s bottom lip: These three pictures show how I add the patches of color for his skin and lip. Then I blend them together...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 18, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 13 - Capturing the person
I sent this in-progress picture to Cheri and wrote, “When I was working on Larry's eyes I tried to capture his sense of humor. I'm glad...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 10, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 12 - Oh those blue eyes
Capturing Larry’s blue eyes is the most critical part of this portrait. When we were discussing the layout of the portrait, Cheri wrote: ...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 9, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 11 - Creating luminous skin
A man’s skin is darker and redder than a woman’s (typically) . So I am putting in some darker colors on Larry’s forehead. Continuing work...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 5, 20245 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 10 - An ear is a funny thing
Continuing work on the double portrait of Cheri and Larry. Working on Larry’s face now. An ear is a funny-looking thing. But it’s just a...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 5, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 9 - Capturing a life
This is how “Cheri and Larry” looks now, as I start working on Larry. To help me capture his essence, Cheri shared many memories of Larry...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 2, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 8 - The right color hair
Continuing work on “Cheri and Larry”.... I'm starting on Larry now, beginning with his brown hair. Like Cheri’s hair, that part of the...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 1, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 7 - The importance of reflected light
Finished Cheri’s face and neck. Reflected light is important. These blue and grey colors on her jaw and side of her neck were caused by...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 1, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 6 - "Jellied baseballs"
I should have done this in one day, but I stretched it into two.... Day 1 Cheri's lips are finished and I'm ready to start on the teeth....
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 27, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 5 - Blending skin colors
Continuing work on Cheri's face in the “Cheri and Larry” portrait. (Prismacolor pencils on grey Canson paper.) FOR ARTISTS: Lots of...
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 21, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 4
I’m making good progress on Cheri’s face. I have known Cheri for 33 years. She was instrumental in introducing my artwork to the Doberman...
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 13, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 3 - What color is skin?
What color is skin color? How does an artist know which colored pencils to use when portraying a human face? This post shows the method...
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 9, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 2 - Creating a curly hairstyle
This album explains how I created Cheri’s curly “Afro-shaped” hairstyle….from a reference photo where the hair was not visible. 1 This is...
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 5, 20243 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 1 - 57 years together
The last portrait I shared (a dog in a forest scene) was very complex. This one will be straightforward: a double Head Study of two...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 31, 20242 min read
