Still can’t believe how fast this year has passed, and how intense it was. Understanding the pressures of a day to day situation of survival as an “artist” really exposes how lucky an individual like myself really is. And like Toons said, “When it was there I rose my hand and said I’ll do it, if it’s time for you to do the same, then step up to the plate.” Here is a recap of portraits I titled “LA Icons” -still ongoing and still in the works.

“The Watcher”—-( CARTOON, charcoal toned paper, Master Artist)

“Timeless”—(ESTEVAN ORIOL charcoal toned paper, Master Photographer)

“The Couple”— (TIP and Tameka Cottle, charcoal toned paper)

“The Hundreds” —(Bobby and Ben HUNDREDS, Street Apparel Owners)

These are the initial four that were given to each of the subjects, there still is about three floating in the house of Jose Lopez, Baby Ray, and about five others still in the works. Stay posted to see them! I’ve been receiving mail from other artists who are trying to understand how these drawings were done, and my honest answer is that the foundation for these images comes from the very basic of skills. Being able to understand the tools is the easy part, getting use to charcoal is the same as getting use to the magnum needles in tattooing–the biggest challenge is going into depth with each subject and understanding the meaning and purpose behind who each of them are. Take away the labels, take away the brands, and strip each subject to the void, and you can begin to feel the composition, not just see it.