Ralph Fiennes | Posted: Nov. 11, 2016, 1:46 a.m.

Media: Digital Art, Photoshop Elements, 7.0

Time: ~3-4 hours

I have always been a fan of actor Ralph Fiennes, from his work in Harry Potter (Voldemort) to the latest installment of James Bond (he becomes the new M in Skyfall).

I love working from references because working this way teaches me to "see." I start noticing and memorizing the shape of features. I personally believe that realism plays a crucial role in an artist's style development. While some artists may start abstracting their art early on, I find that many work from realism and make their way towards abstraction.

I often draw people or objects that I think will influence my style. For instance, because I like to prettify my art, I am guilty of drawing people whom I think have idealistic features.

I think I used default Photoshop brushes for this piece. I tried to build up the skin texture as realistically as I could.

Like a few of my other realistic paintings ("Daniel Sharman" and "Emma Watson Redraw"), I never got around to officially finishing this piece. As I've mentioned before, I wanted to practice my technique, not produce finished portraits.


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