Monday 19 March 2012

Portraits #9 and #10, and playing the "name game" again

At last a couple of portraits again. They're #9 and #10, which means that I've done one tenth of my 100 portraits projects so far. Still a loooong way to go, but having completed 10 still feels good.

The first one is a quick pastel drawing.

"Olivia Night"
The second one another "sofa drawing" in my sketchbook. He somehow ended up looking a bit like the photo of a wanted person. Maybe it's the angle.

"Peter Ellis"
Anyway. I've remembered an old game I used to play when I was young, the "name game". When watching the telly, or a film, I used to make up a name for myself from all the names from the screen credits at the end . I'd choose the first first or last name I liked, and then added a first or last name accordingly, and then kept exchanging them with other ones I liked better, until at the end I'd have my "perfect" name. I've started playing my name game again in order to give my portraits names and a bit of a personality.

So here we are, meet Olivia Night and Peter Ellis. Olivia Night is in her early 40s and newly divorced. It's been a hard time for her, and she's let herself go a little bit. But slowly she's started pulling herself up again and thinking about what to do with the rest of her life. Peter Ellis is a bit of a romantic, and still lookig for "the one",  but he has recently noticed that his hair's thinning and that he's getting bald on top. And he's not happy about it. It makes him look older than he is, and much less attractive to the girls, he fears.

6 comments:

  1. These are great, and love your fun name game, gives your characters life.

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  2. I have been exploring hair lately so I am really noticing it. I love the depth of her brown hair and as I look more closely I notice the loose/free way you did it! Wow!

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  3. LOL! A true dreamer's game. I can perfectly see the anguish that Olivia has been through in recent years, and I completely understand Peter's hair problems, although I've personally progressed several more stages. If you do see him, tell him not to hide it but to embrace his oncoming baldness with all his heart and soul. If I had my life again I'd rather be called Ben Cavendish. Don't ask me why. Just sounds better.

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  4. Very expressive portraits--I really admire you for aiming for 100! I've always been a credits watcher...not sure why, just liked seeing all the different names, so I *love* your name game :)

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  5. LOve your name game. I have to try that for naming my water color face blob people.
    Rinda

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  6. What a great project. Olivia looks like she has a real story to tell. I love that you have given them names and characters. Great work.

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