Chuck Close Grid Portraits Assignment

Chuck Thomas Close (born July 5, 1940), is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits. Though a catastrophic spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him severely paralyzed, he has continued to paint and produce work which remains sought after by museums and collectors.

While at Yale he mastered the art of creating photorealism pictures.

Later he began to use a grid system to create more interesting images.

This one was created using his thumbprint!

Close’s work in a gallery space. (notice how large the work is)

You will be using a grid to help you draw your portrait.

Drawing hair can be difficult…

Think about the shapes the values make rather than the lines of the hair. After you get the right values in you can go back and add details like highlights.

Even short hair has a good range between lights and darks.

Work slowly and build up your detail. If you rush it your work will look rushed and messy.

Just take your time and really look at your image. Aim to make it look real. Remember- Drawing is more about learning to look than it is about some magical ability in your hands.

I f you finish early try a small colour drawing in your sketchbook using colour pencils.