'The world we live in has changed drastically,' says Adebanji Alade. 'We are now familiar with words such as lockdown, social distancing, self-isolation and Covid-19.

'It almost wants to make me shout ‘what happened?’ at the top of my voice. But then we all know we live in a transient world and things can change quite quickly, as they have done with the outbreak of coronavirus. I doubt life will ever be the same after this.

'The news has been really hard to listen to and the truth of the whole situation is a very difficult one to face. Questions such as: how are we going to handle future public gatherings, will everyone need to wear a mask in public, will everyone need to be vaccinated? keep popping through my head. And then there’s the effect this will have on the economy.

'In the midst of all this, we creatives have to remain sane and do what we have always done – to keep turning out paintings, drawings or sketches. I know it can be hard to do in these times but if you were made to create, as I feel I was, then not creating at all will really make matters worse in the long run'.

New subjects

'So creatives all over the world have been doing their best to make art in isolation or what some people call lockdown art. That brings me into the picture: I have found new subjects to paint.

'I recently discovered a lovely man, then 99 years old, called Captain (now Sir) Tom Moore. In the midst of all this chaos he came up with a grand idea to raise funds for the NHS. He decided to do 100 laps of his garden and asked if people would donate to help him reach a target of £1,000 for the NHS. Well, he not only met the target but raised over 30 million pounds – a staggering amount. I decided to do a portrait of this gentleman as part of my 250 portrait challenge – a simple self-target I set up in order to improve my portraits by deliberate daily practice. I am currently on number 142, which happens to be Captain Sir Tom Moore.

'I will show you how an under-painting or an initial sketch turned out to be the final portrait for this legendary man. I really hope he loves it!'

Demonstration: The Legendary Captain Sir Tom Moore

The first thing I needed to do was source a reference picture to work from.

I didn’t want to use any of the photographs on the internet, so I looked at a video clip.

I observed Tom Moore’s mannerisms and body movements as he spoke, his smiles and everything that’s particular about him; I paused the video when I got to a frame that I thought really caught the essence of him.

I then took a screen shot of that frame and used it as my reference.

To make the drawing more accurate – I planned to work on a 6x8in board with three coats of gesso – I uploaded my picture to Grid Drawing Tool by Art Tutor* and added grids that were similar to the ones I would be ruling on my board. I then drew from the gridded picture displayed on my computer screen
*http://www.griddrawingtool.com

Remember this was supposed to be a sketch for an oil painting – I thought I would make this clear from the beginning.

I am totally addicted to sketching, so this stage is always really fun as I explore what I can get in a sweeping flash, something about the subject’s character and the mood they’re in.

Here I used three Winsor & Newton Brush Markers: burnt sienna, cool grey 4 and praline; I love these markers because they feel like a pen and brush at the same time.

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I used a Pentel Water Brush loaded with reddish brown fluid gouache – which made the watery marks.

I was really enjoying the whole exercise but secretly in my mind I was concerned that all these lovely passages were going to be covered in oil.

I would have started to paint here but my curiosity to experiment further with the sketch kept me going.

At this point I began thinking of designing the portrait so that it has an interesting abstract feel to it.

I darkened the background with a dark brown Tombow Dual Wash pen. I also introduced my hardworking BIC Ballpoint Pen in brown, which I think is magical! These are not yet sold individually so I buy the 15 multicolour set, just for the brown!

With the ballpoint pen I weaved into the forms using hatching and curvy cross-hatching lines. I really like this stage as it makes me think I am sketching, not painting.

I also introduced some other colours from the ballpoint pen set – red and blue for areas in the tie and medals.

FINISHED PAINTING
The Legendary Captain Sir Tom Moore, mixed media on board, (20.5x15cm).

I was deeply into this and even more worried that it would all be covered up in oil but I kept going.

The man has an interesting face, which is why it was hard to leave this experimental under-painting at this point. I decided to add gouache and even more effects with the ballpoint pens. I tried out some dry brush effects around the background and near his jacket.

At this point I was really striving for an energetic piece that had the dynamism that this man possesses. Then at the end of this stage I became really confused – should I go onto paint over this in oil or should I end it here?

When I couldn’t make my mind up, I asked my social media followers and the majority advised to leave it at this stage. This was such a relief!

Discover more from Adebanji on his website, adebanjialade.co.uk