Derrick Rose Windy City Commission

is a new painting in aerosol, commissioned by Wayne Applehans, for his son Sam's 16th birthday, and what an honor to create for such an event! Without further ado, here is a break down of the process, and the initial sketches and color studies. We began with concepts surrounding a piece and or mural w Derrick Rose, and it quickly developed into a dynamic and challenging piece. The challenge being the size, and time limit I had to create the work. At 4' x 5', a full figure with extra background elements can be difficult enough w spraypaint, but with a three day deadline, now were talking! 

I began the piece by transferring a loose pencil drawing, and from the process photos you can see I began working opaque section by section until I am at the final stages of the portrait. Which almost always takes about the same time to complete, as the entire piece itself. This particular portrait ended up being 8inches by 7 inches, and I have provided some close-up shots of this area as well for your viewing pleasure. The other obstacle is that D Rose is a specimen of anatomy, and young athleticism, which I wanted to make sure played through, even with the stylized caricaturization. With that in mind I pushed the limits of what I can do with aerosol at this scale and the results are above par.  

All of the secondary elements have been pushed back in terms of edges, and finish, such as the uniform, street hoop, and the city skyline to add more pop to the focus of the D Rose and the throw-down gesture. The inclusion of the ball aflame, is an homage to old school video games and streetball, and to add some fantastical flavor to the overall flow and dynamics of the composition. 

Was truly a pleasure and an honor to work on this piece, and to see everyone's faces light up when the painting was unveiled at the studio! A special thanks to Boxcar Gallery for the recommendation, and to Wayne, his wife Michelle, and of course to Sam, hope the piece stays with you for years, and we all know D Rose will be back with a vengeance, reports say he is already off crutches. Thanks to you all on Blogger for the support, and I hope you continue to stop in. More tomorrow.