Double Portrait - Stipple Art
The Art of the Double Portrait
This time, it’s a selection of Double Portraits I have created over the years, in the Wall Street Journal hedcut style, sometimes referred to as stipple portraits. I think of the technique as closer to an engraving style, even though it is actually pen-and-ink drawing.We begin with an image published in the WSJ from the 1980’s. Two (I presume Space Shuttle) Astronauts. Bonus points if you can name them:
This image is interesting for its lighting — heavy shadows and stark highlights.In my current gig, at Worth magazine, I have done several double portraits of the many financial advisors I illustrate. Here are two:
The above full-figure portrait is curious for it’s lighting, also. The discerning viewer will notice that the shadows fall on different sides of each subject. This is because the two images were given to me as separate photographs. My job was to place them together in the composition. This can be tricky, as you have no information as to the height of the individuals in real life. So, it’s an eyeballing exercise. You get the figures scaled and placed as naturally as you can.
I occasionally receive commissions for anniversaries and weddings. The example above is one I produced very recently for a couple getting married. It depicts the parents of one of the betrothed which they will receive as a gift.Lastly, a wedding portrait I created for one of my oldest friends — we shared many boyhood adventures together. Here are the glamorous Bride and Groom…