Art That Tells a Story

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This is a blog series where I produce portraits of members of the Mega64 Forum. The idea began as a way to force myself to practice drawing on a consistent basis, but it quickly became more than that. Each portrait represents two hours of drawing, and so I was able to recreate my favorite people from the forum in a way that revealed them in a new light.

Telling stories is something I’ve always loved to do. I started this blog in an effort to improve my ability to tell stories visually, but now it has become its own project.

The next thing you’ll notice about these portraits is their size. I want each one to be large enough to fill the viewer’s field of vision and small enough to fit in their hand. At 6″x9″, this portrait is just about perfect for that purpose. It’s made with archival ink on acid-free paper, so it won’t yellow or fade over time.

This is the official website of David Choe, an artist who has been dubbed as “the Michelangelo of Ass.” His artwork has been published on the covers of major magazines and exhibited in galleries all over the country.

I want to share with you a special project that I’m working on: a series of portraits of members of the Mega64 Forum. I’ve posted instructions below for how to submit your own portrait, and if you are brave enough to volunteer, I will see you soon.

Tentative List of Participants:

Each portrait is based off of a post from the Mega64 Forums. I worked with the poster to find an interesting/humorous photo that would be suitable for a caricature.

After receiving the photo, I worked to copy the photo’s lighting and perspective as closely as possible using my own camera and drawing tools. Then I worked to create the exact opposite effect, by exaggerating and distorting features. In the end, step by step photos are available.

Description:We all love Mega64 but sometimes you just want a little more. What if there was a way to combine their brand of humor with something more? A well crafted story or a touching moment? Well now there is! In this blog series I take screen captures from various Mega64 videos and turn them into portraits of our forum members!

Tone:enthusiastic

One of the most important aspects of a successful artist is an audience. This slideshow was designed to show off my portrait skills and sell my art. I also wanted to showcase my humor in a way that didn’t feel forced, so I decided to combine the two.

I started with a list of members from the Mega64 forum. Anyone could nominate someone for inclusion in the slideshow, but I had to confirm that they were ok with it before adding them. Some chose to be painted, others were painted from photos.

The idea behind this was to show the community side of me, rather than just my artistic side. I wanted to make something that would be entertaining in it’s own right without relying on any previous knowledge of me or my work.

This project was bigger than any single item I had ever done, and lead to a lot more interest in my work.

I was late and wanted to stop at the gas station. I hurriedly swiped my credit card and had a nice moment with the old man. He told me about his wife, who was in a nursing home and would not be able to make it out on Christmas. I came back a few days later to give him the portrait, but he died before I made it back.

This is the last portrait of him, now hanging in the nursing home waiting room. It was an honor to paint him and an honor to share this story with you all as part of this series on art that tells a story.

As I stated in my first post for the Mega64 Art Blog, I’m still trying to figure out my style. Part of that is going to be learning how to draw people (I’m just not used to it), but another part of it is getting comfortable drawing from imagination.

The Art of David Choe is a collection of his work from the past 20 years. The pieces range from lowbrow to highbrow and from traditional art to graffiti. His paintings, drawings, and sculptures have been on display in galleries across the country and are now available in limited edition runs on fine art paper as well as canvas.

The Art of David Choe | Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100).

Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100) by David Choe.

The Art of David Choe | Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100).

Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100) by David Choe.

The Art of David Choe | Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100).

Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100) by David Choe.

The Art of David Choe | Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100).

Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 100) by David Choe.

The Art of David Choe | Signed & Numbered (Edition Size: 50).

Signed by David Choe.

The Art of David Choe | Signed by David Choe.

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