Self Portrait in the Key of Hale, Part One: The Drawing

I took this photo a while back and decided it needed to be a painting. It has a very Phil Hale feel to it, and considering my infatuation with his work, I thought I should pay some homage.

I decided to begin the painting by drawing the image directly onto the MDF that I would be painting on. Here are a few steps of the drawing process:

The final drawing (below) was then spay-fixed to the board using a Korean equivalent of Crystal Clear (it is hard to find name-brand art supplies over here), and coated with several coats of Liqitex clear gesso. Those of you unfamiliar with clear gesso should know it is fantastic stuff. It really is nearly transparent, though it does need liberal sanding to keep it from feeling gritty.

Tune in next time for the first few coats of paint.