Fine Art of Rick Corbett

My First Dog Portrait - Commission

2011-11-20T05:23:00.001-08:00

I was asked to draw a portrait of Bella, an Australian Kelpie. This is my first time drawing a dog portrait, so I wasn't sure what I was expecting nor did I know what I was getting myself into.

Not knowing how to begin, I decided to tackle it just like I would a human portrait. I took several reference photos and begin with an outline, started adding details and tone, and I also paid attention to the muscle structure.

Here is the finished portrait. It was a great experience and I think I will be drawing more animals as I had a lot of fun...it was challenging...but lots of fun.

WGA Open Annual Art Exhibit 2011

2011-11-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

I am preparing for the Woburn Guild of Artist's 48th Annual Open Art Exhibit which will be held at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Woburn on Saturday November 26, 2011 from 3:00 - 7:00 PM.

I will be entering three pieces this year. My portraits titled "Christine", "PFC Daniel", and "Brooklynn" will be entered to be judged. Judging will take place Saturday afternoon from 12:00 - 2:00 PM.

Portrait of Brooklynn Complete

2011-11-20T05:16:00.000-08:00

Here's my completed portrait of Brooklynn. She is 11 x 14 graphite on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper.

Drawing Technique - Hair

2011-03-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a small video of me drawing hair. Now, there's many ways to draw hair and I'm sure other artists may render hair differently than I do. This is my technique which I use with each and every portrait I do.

Trace Adkins Complete

2011-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished portrait of Trace Adkins.

Trace Adkins WIP 2

2011-03-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks since my last post. I've been working hard on this portrait of Trace Adkins. I have about 80 hours total on it so far and have about another 30 before it's completed.

I'm now using a circulism technique because I want to create a little texture on the face. I have about 3 layers of graphite on the face.

So far I'm using a 7H, 4H, B, and an HB Prismacolor Torquoise drawing pencils.

Trace Adkins WIP 1

2011-02-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

My demo on 2/10/2011 was a big success. I was nervous in the beginning because this was my first demo and I wan't sure what I was going to talk about. I decided to draw Country Singer Trace Adkins. I love his music and I think he has an interesting face.

He has a soft soul but also a certain toughness about him that I wanted to capture both. I wasn't able to finish the portrait as I only had 2 hours and I needed about 200. I plan on finishing Trace.

Here's what I have so far.

New Portrait - Progress 7

2011-02-06T19:50:00.001-08:00

Here's another update. I took the photo with my phone from my drawing table. I have the faces just about finished. I started working on the clothing. I have maybe another day or two to work on this then I should be able to call this finished.

Woburn Art Guild "In the Round" Member Demo

2011-02-05T06:21:00.001-08:00

On Thursday February 10th, I'll be joining 4 other artists as we demonstrate our techniques and share our experiences as artists with the residences of the New Horizons at Choate in the Terrace Lounge located in Woburn.

I am excited as this will be my first demo where I'll be speaking to an audience about my art and sharing my blending technique and the tools that I use.

I'm excited and am looking forward to it.

New Portrait - Progress 6

2011-01-29T07:32:00.000-08:00

Now this is a much better image than my last post. Here's another update. I went back to the hair. The face is just about finished, I may make some small adjustments here or there but for the most part it's done.

For the hair, I'm using a 0.5mm mechanical pencil with a 2B lead. I'm still blending with a medium tortillion and picking out highlights with an eraser pencil.

New Portrait - Progress 4

2011-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here's another update. I changed my technique for the second portrait. I'm now using circulism. I want to try to have a smooth and more natural looking tonal transition. I used 7H, 4H, 3H, and 3B pencils. I'm still working on the forehead, I want to add a little more darker tone. I also started the sideburns.

The paper is not yellow, it's actually white. I forgot to turn on the flash on my camera when I took the photo, the room was dimly lit so the paper captured the yellow hue. I'll take a better photo for my next upload.

New Portait - Progress 3

2011-01-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

Here's another update. I started the second half of this portrait. I'm still using a 0.5mm mechanical pencil with a 2B lead and blending with a medium tortillion.

New Portrait - Progress 2

2011-01-19T17:31:00.000-08:00

I have just about one half of this portrait finished. I'm using only a 0.5mm mechanical pencil with a 2B lead. I'm blending still with a medium size tortillion.

The color is better in person, I attempted to scan the image with a scanner but it didn't come out as good as I wanted. Next time, I'm going back to using my digital camera.

Here's an updated image:

New Portrait - Progress 1

2011-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a new portrait of an artist friend who recently passed away. I'm combining two reference photos together at different ages to make one portrait.

The size is 14 x 17. I'm drawing on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. I'm using a 0.5 Berol Mechanical Pencil with a 2B lead.

Lima Family Portrait - Completed

2010-12-12T07:32:00.000-08:00

Here's the final finished portrait. It's not my best work but the client was happy with it and understood that the reference photos weren't the greatest. She actually stopped by my house last night and picked it up. She also asked me for three 8 x 10 prints of the drawing. I learned a lot doing this portrait and as frustrating as it was, I really enjoyed doing it.

Now onto my next project.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 6

2010-12-05T18:40:00.001-08:00

Here's another update. I have daughter/sister # 2 just about done.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 6

2010-11-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

I'm still plugging away on this portrait. I've started on daughter/sister # 2. I also tried to darken the mother's hair which I still need to tweak to try to add body and make it more realistic looking.

"Classic Love" Won First Place

2010-11-27T18:43:00.001-08:00

My portrait titled "Classic Love" won First Place tonight in the Annual Open Art Exhibit held at the First Congregational Church in Woburn. The exhibit was part of the Festival on the Common in Woburn Center.

I'm so happy and honored.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 5

2010-11-24T19:57:00.001-08:00

Here's a small update. I have the boy just about finished. I also made some adjustments to the mother.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 4

2010-11-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

Here's another update. I started adding in the boy (my friend's husband). I'm not sure I'm happy with this. I wish the woman/mother came out better. I know I can do better but I can't start over. I want to try to get this done so that it can be framed.

I'm still using a mechanical pencil with a .5 mm 2B lead. I'm also still blending with a tortillion.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 3

2010-11-22T17:59:00.001-08:00

Here's another update. I'm sorry about the darker image. I took a photo using my Sony Cybershot Digital camera and I'm not a very good photographer. I'm not sure why the paper came out dark, especially since I had three lamps on in my studio on.

I have sister/daughter # 1 just about finished. I am using a mechanical pencil with a .5 mm 2B lead and am continuing to blend with a small tortillion. I may go over the darks with a 4B then a 6B pencil to really push the darks.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress Update

2010-11-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

Here's an update on my portrait. It's a slow process partly because I'm just not into this. The woman/mother in the portrait really took a lot out of me and shaken my confidence a little. I'm still plugging away and I'm starting to "feel" the passion come back. I hope it will start to show.

I am using a small tortillion to blend, it just feels natural for me. I've been practicing using circulism and Darrel Tank's technique for a tapered stroke but I always go back to tortillions because it just seems right for me.

I think I'm done with the mother and I've started one of the daughters.

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 1 (again)

2010-11-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

I finally think I have an accurate line drawing which I'm going to continue on with. I've gone in and reshaped the woman's/mother's face. I think I have it shaped correctly. I did this line drawing using a 0.5mm Berol Mechanical Pencil with an HB lead. The paper is Kilroy 932 Sulphite Bond Drawing Paper - Mechanical Translucency by the Charrette (Pitman Corporation).

Now that I have my line drawing done, I'm going to now move it to my actual drawing surface which will be 14 x 17 Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. The pencils I'll be using will be Prismacolor Torquoise drawing pencils. My goal is to have this done by Saturday, November 27th. Once I have the line drawing on my drawing surface, I'll start adding tone, texture, and depth hopefully bringing the drawing to life and making it look better than the actual photograph. Another update will be posted soon!

2010-11-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

I'm still working on my portrait titled "The Lima Family". I've been having a lot of trouble with it I think because I think I've been expecting too much. I'm going back to my roots on this portrait. I'v figured out that I can't draw like anyone else - I can only draw like me. I've tried the circulism technique like Armin Mersmann and I've tried the cross hatching technique like Darrel Tank. Neither of which feel natural to me. It's funny, I think this is what Armin Mersmann has been trying to teach is viewers all along. I also think this is why I'm having such a hard time with this portrait. I need to put myself in the drawing and no one else.

I'm learning a lot about drawing and seeing my mistakes but mostly, I'm learning about who I am and where I want to go as an artist. I love drawing and bringing people to life on paper. I think this portrait is helping me to find "me". I've made some adjustments to the line drawing to make it more accurate and will be posting later today then I'll be adding tone. I'm done feeling bad about this portrait because I couldn't get to where I thought I wanted it to be. Now, the real drawing begins!

Lima Family Portrait - Progress 3

2010-11-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I ended up re-doing this portrait again. Good grief, I'm having such a hard time with this one. I think it's because the reference photos aren't that good. The details are lost and the defects of the photographs really come out when I scan and enlarge the images. I think I have started this portrait over like 10 times by now and have invested about 30 hours into it but I have nothing completed.

I think I finally have a good likeness of the mother/wife. I think I'm happy with it so far so I'm going to continue on.

Here's the reference photos that I'm using. For the mother, I'm using the face and hair from one photo and the clothing from another.

And here's a WIP image of my drawing. It's not a very good image, because of the size of the portrait I needed to take a photo using my digital camera which I'm still trying to figure out how to use. I then used Photoshop to try to improve the quality but I'm still learning how to use Photoshop too. So this is the best I could do.

Lima Family Progress 2

2010-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been plugging away on this portrait. I've re-started this portrait like 5 times now. I finally have it to a point where I'm "OK" with it. I like it enough to continue on (I have to now that Halloween is where - Christmas is right around the corner).

I'm using lighter tones and have the facial features mapped out and in proportion to the face I think.

So far the leads I'm using are HB, 2B, and 5H. On the left side of her cheek (screen's right) I want to curve out the cheek a tiny bit to give her more of a smile. Another update coming soon!

Lima Family Progress 1 - Take Two

2010-10-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry this image is very bad. I took this with my digital camera which I'm still trying to figure out how to use. The paper is actually white. For some reason, all of my photographs of my drawings come out like this. I think it's the lighting. I think I'm going to start taking my work outside and then take the photograph. Oh well.....

Here's the line drawing for my newest portrait which is going to be a Christmas gift for the mother in law of a family friend.

The drawing itself is 14 x 17 (the largest piece I've done so far). I'm using 3 different photographs for the reference. I'm combining the 3 photos into this one portrait.

I'm using Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. The line drawing was done with a 0.5mm Berol Mechanical Pencil with a 2B lead. I'll be using Prismacolor Torquoise Drawing Pencils.

Now that my line drawing is complete, I can now start adding texture and tone. Hopefully I can start bringing this portrait to life.

I'll be posting an update soon.

Green Eyes - Progress 7

2010-09-14T20:13:00.001-07:00

Going back to my colored pencil portrait. I've introduced Light Peach, Beige, and Pink Rose to the skin tone. I'm still building up the nose, I have to add more tone to build it up to make it more realistic.

Green Eyes - Progress 6

2010-09-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here's another update. I used Cream, Deco Pink, and Peach for the skin tone. I think I'm going to add another layer of each color to smooth out the skin. I want to make the light and dark tones transition smoothly to make it look more natural.

New Commission

2010-09-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

I just got a commission request to do a 5 subject portrait which will be a Christmas gift. I'll be focusing on this commissioned piece for the next few weeks so I can't dedicate as much time to my colored pencil portrait.

I will be working on both pieces at the same time but most of my focus will be on the commissioned piece because of the deadline. Delivery date is November 27th, right after Thanksgiving. This gives me about 3 months to complete.

The client asked for the portrait to be done in graphite. I've started my line drawing. I completed the line drawing for one subject. Once I have the line drawing completed for all 5 subjects, I'll be posting it which should be in a few days.

Green Eyes - Progress 5

2010-09-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a small update for tonight. I added a little bit of the hair and I added another layer of Light Peach and Peach for the skin.

For the hair I'm using Sand, Sienna Brown, Dark Brown, Goldenrod, and a little bit of Black. I'm still playing with my pallette. I'm not sure what colors to use but I'm just having fun mixing and seeing what I come up with. I'll be posting another update soon.

Green Eyes - Progress 4

2010-09-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

Here's another update. I'm still working on adding more layers to the skin. I'm hoping to smooth out the tone and make it look more natural and realistic. I also started adding freckles.

So far I'm using Light Peach, Peach, Burnt Ochre, and Dark Brown.

Green Eyes - Progress 3

2010-09-01T20:22:00.001-07:00

I'm working on the second eye and starting to add skin tone. I'm using Light Peach, Peach, and Burnt Ochre. I'll be adding more layers as I go along hopefully to smooth out the tone and make it more realistic.

Green Eyes - Progress 2

2010-08-31T20:29:00.001-07:00

Here's a small update. I'm a little nervous with the skin tone and thought about going back to graphite. But I'm not, I'm sticking with it. I also realized that I have to use a lighter graphite pencil when drawing the line drawing. I may actually use a Peach color Colored Pencil to the line drawing on my next portrait.

For eye itself, I used Dark Green, Lime Peel, and Olive Green. For the skin tone, I used Light Peach, Peach, Light Umber, and Sienna Brown. I'm going to be building my layers slowly. I'm not sure if I'll be burnishing or not. I'm using a circulism technique. More to come soon....

Green Eyes - Progress 1

2010-08-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my completed line drawing of "Green Eyes". I call my line drawing the ugly stage of my portraits because the lines are loosely sketched and drawn quickly. The lines are used for placement purposes only. I map out where I want the eyes, the nose, the mouth. Once I have the line drawing at a point I like, I start planning my details.

"Green Eyes"

2010-08-26T09:48:00.001-07:00

I've started a new portrait last night. The title of my newest piece is "Green Eyes". This is going to be my first real attempt at a colored pencil portrait and my first drawing that will have a background.

The size is going to be 11 x 14 on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. I'll be using Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I'm still working on the line drawing which I'll be posting an image of I hope tonight.

I'm a little intimated by colored pencils. I've dabbled with colored pencils before but always ended up going back to graphite. I feel that I'm growing as an artist and it's time I face my fear and stick with it.....

Portrait of Sharon

2010-08-14T11:38:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted an update on my blog. This is something that I hope to do regularly going forward. I thought I'd post my latest drawing.

Here's a portrait of a good friend and artist. This is a portrait of Sharon Gonzalez as a young girl. She is truly an inspiration to me as an artist and as a person. Her love of life and art has touched me in a way that I feel has made me a better person. Her photographs and paintings capture all that is beautiful in this world and I hoped to capture the beauty of her.

Portrait of Zachary Adam Stein

2010-03-22T18:50:00.001-07:00

Completed my portrait of Zachary which is now ready to be shipped to his family with my deepest sympathies. This was a very emotional portrait to draw - but after seeing his mother's face when she saw the works in progress and to hear her say "that's my Zachary"...this was so meaningful for me that it brought tears to my eyes. It was an honor to draw Zachary and after viewing the reference photos and spending so much time on the drawing, I learned a lot not only about Zachary and the tremendous man he was but I learned a little about myself as well.

"Zachary" WIP 5

2010-02-28T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here's another update. I have the face just about finished and started adding tone to the neck. Next comes the hat. I want the brim to be dark so I'll be using probably charcoal. The facial tones was completed using an HB, 6B, and a 5H pencil. I blended using first a tortillion then a piece of chamois.

"Zachary" WIP 4

2010-02-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

I have completed the initial layers of tone on Zach's face. I also completed the second eye.

"Zachary" WIP 3

2010-02-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'm continuing to add tone to Zach's face. I want to try to make this as realistic as possible. I really want to focus on the way the light hits his face and also on the darker tone because the darks are really going to make Zach come to life off the page. Here's an update...

"Zachary" WIP 2

2010-02-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

I drew in Zachary's eye and now I'm starting to add tone to his face. I'm using a circulism technique which I'll blend out later to get a smooth tonal transition. The pencils I'm using are Prismacolor Torquoise 2H, 5B, and a .5 mechanical pencil with an HB lead.

"Zachary" WIP 1

2010-01-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

I've started my line drawing for "Zachary". I hope to start adding tone, depth, and texture soon so that I can begin to bring "Zachary" to life. I'm hoping to capture his spirit. I'm hoping to capture that boy that he is and the man that he was going to be.

The Incredible Artwork of Armin Mersmann

2010-01-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a video displaying some of the artwork of a Modern Master Graphite Artist, Armin Mersmann. Armin's attention to detail and his discipline is something I hope to learn and achieve. Armin is also one of the artists that I try to learn from. He is my inspiration. Not only is Armin a great artist, he's a great man as well. To see these works and many many others, please visit Armin's web site at http://www.arminmersmann.com Enjoy the video of this amazing and talented artist....I sure did!

Preparation for My New Portrait

2009-11-05T09:51:00.000-08:00

I'm preparing to start my new portrait titled "Zachary" who was an 18 year old Marine who lost his life too soon. I have lots of reference photos but I'm only using the ones I feel capture Zachary's soul.

I have a bunch of reference photos but I only chose the ones I feel that really capture Zach's soul and spirit. I have laid out the photos on my drawing table and now I can study the facial features, especially Zach's eyes.

Pumpkin Carving 2009

2009-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

One of my many creative loves other than drawing is pumpkin carving. Here is this year's pumpkin carving titled, "The Haunted Pumpkin Patch". Happy Halloween!!!!

Portrait of Abigail

2009-10-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

11 x 14 graphite on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper.

Portrait of Jazmyn

2009-10-02T20:36:00.001-07:00

11 x 14 graphite on Fredrix Canvas paper.

Portrait of Enzo & Lorena

2009-10-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

11 x 14 graphite on Fredrix Canvas paper.

Portrait of PFC Daniel Ciccolo

2009-10-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

11 x 14 graphite on Fredrix Canvas paper.

Portrait of Christine

2009-10-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a memorial portrait of my beautiful baby sister Christine who passed away when she was 16 years old. "Christi, I love you....you are forever in my heart" 11 x 14 graphite on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper.