THE MAN INSIDE

The Man Inside is my new art project.  It will feature portraits of men.  Each model will share a profound experience in their lives.  This may relate to spirituality, fatherhood, marriage, love, divorce, loss, sorrow, desire, hope, etc.  A compilation of the artwork and stories will be published in a book.  The exhibit will open late next year in Fresno and then travel to galleries about the country.

This is a unique project and one in which you may participate.  I believe there is a great sociological value to this work.  It will be revealing to read about men's experiences.  I hope that it will be inspiring to other men and women alike.  I also see this as a model for teenagers who are now forming their definition of what a man is.  

I will create 25 works with corresponding stories.  Each portrait will be 20in x 16in.  All work will be done from life.  Depending on the pose, models will sit for three to six hours, in multiple sittings, of course.  Please feel free to contact me should you be interested in participating.  I'll be happy to answer your questions.

marcosdorado@gmail.com          (559) 284-5520

This portrait represents María -a young lady from Harlem.  She posed nude for a group artists.  However, I was really captured by her eyes.  As a result, I focused on a portrait rather than drawing all of her figure.  The portrait is on view until Oct 21st, at Studio 74, Fresno.  

Binta posed for this portrait last year at City Arts Gallery (Fresno).  Immediately, I new I wanted to draw her in profile.  I love the contour of her forehead, to the eyebrow, down the nose and finally, to her chin.  I find it lovely!  I worked in tinted paper because I wanted a soft contrast to the darks of the graphite.  She posed for three hours and I worked an addition ten balancing the values.

 

New Art

This is my latest drawing.  It represents Susana, a young lady from Santa Barbara.  This is the first time that I depict a model with eyes closed.  I believe this composition makes the viewer wonder about the personality or state of mind of the model.  

I drew on smooth Canson paper, 17in x 14in.  My pencils were: 2B, B, HB, H, 4H and 6H.

A Few Works from the Past

 

Keni

17in x 14in

Graphite on Paper

2009 

 

 

Bryan

14in x 11in

Graphite on Wood Panel

2005

 

 

Donavan

17in x 14in

Conté on Paper

2009 

 

 

Mary

24in x 18in

Graphite on Paper

2009 

Thank you Jerry for Serving Our Country

14in x 10in

Graphite on Paper

2008

 

I titled this work, The Honesty of Man.  The model is Pedro who posed at Grand Central Academy of Art.  I very much like the spirit of the figure and it compliments the idea I've had for a while of doing an exhibit about the emotions of men. 

The figure is finished but I've been planning a sort of setting.  I'd like to "anchor" the figure a bit more rather than simply leaving it as it is.  It's best to develop both parts of the composition.  I usually work in this fashion.  In this case, I focused exclusively on the figure.   I'm quite happy with the drawing as I've always been a fan of this technique, which is commonly known as the academic style.  I may exhibit it next month in Fresno.

I was invited to a session with this model, while in New York City.  This was a two hour pose on a Friday evening after a long day of working with another model.  At this point, the drawing shows my measuring lines, marks in which I determined the slope from one anatomical area to another, and the shadow pattern within the figure as well as the cast shadow behind the model.

Amy has worked with various artists in Manhattan and regularly poses at the Art Students League.

I met Lisa in Fresno six years ago when she commissioned me to draw her nude.  She was near the end of her pregnancy and it the drawing was to be a surprise for her husband.  The work now hangs in their home in New Jersey where they have relocated.  Since then, I've become good friends with the couple.  Upon learning about my return to New York, she offered to pose for me.  On a Friday morning, Lisa made the hour-long trip into Manhattan and sat for three hours.  She's an excellent model.  This is a departure from her usual activities for Lisa is a avid belly dancer.  

 

ARTHOP -Nov 4

JOIN US!

Thurs

Nov 4

5pm-8pm

City Arts Gallery

1475 N Van Ness Ave

Featuring:

Jerome Garth Parker

-Work in oil on canvas as well as charcoal on paper

-Samples of his work: http://www.silcom.com/~jparker/gallery/index-b.html

Marcos Dorado

New work created in NYC

Nude of Pedro

About the Drawing...

At Grand Central Academy of Art (GCA), I've been working on this nude.  The model is Pedro who recently moved to New York City from Miami.

GCA's approach to drawing is rooted in close observation of the model and meticulous rendering of the figure. Thus, the process is considered slow by many.  For example, at the time these images were taken, I had already worked 20 hours on the drawing.  This is a compilation of the the initial block-in with it's depiction of the shadow shapes, careful adjustment of proportion, axis and rotation of the figure, and finally, the beginning of the modelling process, which is also known as shading. 

The term, modelling, is preferred over shading because it evokes the development of anatomical structure that is not directly in light, through the use of a determined value scale rather than the laying of fields of graphite attempting to create a sense of shadow.  In fact, I have not employed, at all, the primary technigue most artists use in "shading." I'm referring to rubbing in the graphite so as to blend tones. Instead, I interpret the values of shadows by drawing tones of darks and grays through the use of different pencils.  The changes in value throughout the drawing, of course, represent undulations of muscles and the overall form of Pedro's anatomy.  

I use the kneaded erasure to lift what I call "freckles" left by excess graphite.  These are created by the tiny peeks of the paper's uneven surface (I'm using Strathmore Series 400, 24in x 18in). Conversely, I fill in the minute specks of white -the valleys in the paper that did not get as much graphite as the peeks.  Balancing the values between freckles and specks creates smooth tones throughout the drawing.  As you might guess, this requires more time than simply brushing a Bounty paper towel over layers of graphite, rubbing one's thumb on the drawing, or using paper stumps and blenders.  However, the result of drawing shadow values with only pencils, 1) Maintains the quality of the surface of the paper; 2) Because graphite is not rubbed into the paper, adjusting (erasing) is much easier; 3)  Allows for better control in interpreting light and shadow in my drawing.

I'll post more images of this and other drawings along with commentary in the coming days.

I greatly appreciate our input.  I encourage you to rate this post and to enter your comments, below.  It will help me in developing this blog into an entertaining and informative site.

Thank you.           

New images of my work coming this weekend -portrait and figure drawings I've started during my sty in New York City.  Stay tuned!

For now, scroll down to view the making of Elana -a drawing I completed last year. 

Elana posed for twelve hours for this work.  I created the background after research on old barns.  I very much enjoy depicting wood and thought it would create a perfect background for Elana's figure.  

I'd appreciate your input below.  Thank you.