Drawing of the Soelberg family based on photos taken January 2015.

I guess it’s pretty obvious that I find the usual posed portraits kind of dull. I had this idea for a family portrait on my bed in January of 2015. I got the whole family on the bed, took the photos and picked the expressions that seemed to best reveal our moods and personalities. Just as I was about to make the drawing, I was consumed by distraction. Then other priorities took over, and mounting distractions filled my days until the drawing was literally buried under papers. I dug it out last month, finished the pencil drawing and inked it. Getting the personality and expression right is deeply satisfying. When I’m drawing from life, and especially portraits, every line of permanent ink is an exciting act of bravery. It’s a commitment. I’m sure tattoo artists get that same thrill with every bit of ink they commit to flesh.

On a related note, I was contacted just this week by someone wondering if I do commissioned drawings and portraits. Yes I do! Please contact me at dhsoelberg@gmail.com with inquiries. I’ll post a gallery of past commissions to my site soon.

Here’s a progress shot. Pencil drawing is done and I’ve just started the basic inking.

Here’s an upside down view of the drawing