Another Nelson Mandela Portrait Finished

Hi Guys,

A couple of months ago I did a portrait of our Ex President and Global Icon Nelson Mandela. Well I sold that drawing after exhibiting it for about R7000 (about $900).
This was that drawing...



Well I've now started another one due to the response of that first one. This one is a bit different in that I think he's a bit younger and the shading is going to be quite a bit darker. It's again on the same A2 sketch pad I used for the previous drawing which is Heavy Duty 200gsm paper.
Heres the start of it...quite a rough textured paper. Probably been 3 or 4 hours into it so far...



Let me know what you think, and will update it asap.

Thanks
Adrian

A very promising start, i am looking forward to the process.

Done a bit more...starting to look like Nelson Mandela now...

Beautiful beginning, can't wait to see it finished.

A bit more added...always enjoy doing ties and getting them to look realistic...

Looks very good, especially the tie. How many hours are you working on it by now?

Like the eyes,,looks very real,,nice work so far

Did quite a bit this weekend...probly been about 30 hours so far...

Finally completed. It took approximately 35 hours.

Adrian

You have a beautiful style that shines through even if the reference lacks finite details. Both of these portraits are sublime.

I'm so impressed that you managed to sell the first for that price. Well done.

A few questions - Where did you source the reference photos? Are they just from the internet? Did you need to consider copyright? This is always at the back of my mind if I work from a photo I found on the net.

Did you ask for that price or did you invite offers??

How many hours would you typically do in any one session when working on a piece?

Thanks in advance,

Regards.
Mark

Not sure the left-hand highlights work..too much contrast..just my opinion Adrian,nonetheless,a superb piece of Artwork

Thanks for the answers Adrian. Interesting food for thought. I also typically do 1-2 hours per session, but a piece takes me 80hours or so.