Portraits of Hive, chapter 2.

The long-awaited part two of this humble series is finally here!

Good evening everybody, how are you doing?

It's been a year since I first started this initiative, in the hope of giving back to Hive the fantastic support I've received from its community. You can find that first chapter here.

In this opportunity, I'm portraying one of the most supportive Hivians I've come along during my journey, one that unconditionally offers a helping hand no matter what.

@wesphilbin , it is me the one that cannot thank you enough.

Besides that, I also wanted to share with you guys the process of making this oil painting, so you can see the different stages before the final painting.

So let's get started!

Everything begins with a very ugly sketch, okay? Everything in life is ugly at the beginning 🤣

I know, I know... Those first eyes look like a total nightmare material, but patience is the key.

Now, what do you think? A little better, right?

Despite the sloppiness of this first stage drawing I try really hard to get the right proportions and placement of every element. A nose placed only a millimeter away from the right spot can make a big difference when it comes to achieving a likeness.

Right after being satisfied with the sketch, it's acrylic paint time.

This first layer of paint doesn't need to be very detailed, it only needs to set a foundation for the upcoming oil paint.

Acrylic paint stage finished!

This first layer must be totally dry before applying oil paint. Since acrylics are water-based paint and oils, of course, are oil-based. We all know those substances don't get along very well.

After a whole year of letting the paint dry, you can proceed to take out the heavy machinery, the magic makers: THE OILS.

We start making sloppy brush strokes to cover the canvas and then we increasingly add details.

A tiny wrinkle here, a small highlight right there...

The beard... That little shine on the glasses...

And here it is.

But we haven't finished yet.

Every painting needs a background.

I was so happy with the result that I was scared of messing everything up trying to paint a background, using the wrong color can spoil the whole essence of the portrait and give the wrong impression. So I took a picture with my phone and with a photo editor tried out different colors.

In the end, I stuck with this light pistachio hue.

I applied a very thin layer of paint.

Afterward, I blended it away with a piece of clothing.

And finally, I put my sign in there.

Voilá!

Wes "extraordinary boi" Philbin 😄