After my most recent little oil portrait painting, I wanted to paint one larger in size. and straight away I knew who I wanted to use as my inspiration. Someone who I see as being complimentary to my brand.
Alper Sezer is an impeccably dressed gentleman from Istanbul, Turkey. After following his 'Tailored Details' page on instagram for a while now, we began talking after our mutual admiration for each others creative outlet. With many photographs of Alper to choose from, fortunately he was happy for me to use one of his more close up images. One where he's looking directly at the camera. One that draws you in.
When I've wanted to get an exact likeness in the past, I've worked out the ratio from the photograph to the canvas, and scaled it up by drawing a grid. But this time I decided to draw straight onto the oil paper, using my eye to work out the composition.
It proved to be more of a battle with myself doing it this way. One minute I thought I had the likeness, then I lost it. Not that my aim was to achieve the perfect likeness, but I wanted people who saw it to see the similarity. To see that I captured an essence of him.
Oil paints make it easier to battle with, though. The fact that they take so long to dry, meant I could keep coming back to it. I could push and pull the paint until I was happy with he outcome. Which now, I am.
There's something about oil paints that just lure you in. Their depth and luminosity are a perfect match for the lighting on Alper's face, and his gaze.
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