" Stevie Y "
...Auction piece on August 13th, 2010...
Proceeds went towards The Worlds Children Foundation.
With the help of it's Canadian partner
" C.A.R.O ." - ( Canadians Reaching Out )
C.A.R.O. provides international
relief, supplies, resources and support to children and families
in need. Helping people to develop solutions for their long-term
self sufficiency
The pose is of Steve " Stevie
Y" sitting beside the Stanley Cup after the Red Wings won the
cup in 1997.
The concept to do a portrait
painting of Lanny McDonald hoisting The Stanley Cup was talked
about. The idea
was easier to visualize when I was told that Lanny is a huge part of
C.A.R.O. But it soon hit a snag when we couldn't get a hold of
Lanny to get references photos of him. In order for me to get
this piece done by the beginning of August I had to start on it
by June 1st....My deadline to start this piece soon approached
and I was left with the decision to do a different player. I
remember back in the late 90's purchasing some reference photos
of a few different players through Bruce Bennett Studios in New
York now Getty Images. Bruce Bennett provides photos for sport
magazines throughout the world. One of these shots was of Steve
Yzerman. For the longest time I wanted to finish a piece on "
Stevie Y " but I never had the chance or the real reason to do
it.
I am very excited to know that
my next project will be of Lanny hoisting the cup but for now
it's Stevie's turn...
In any painting I always paint the easiest
things first then get on with the real challenge.
The challenging aspect to this painting is not
only trying to get this figure to look like Steve Yzerman but
also do justice to the Stanley Cup. Every detail on this piece
has to be precise. One of the hardest thing I had to do was to
create chrome. The reflections, the colors and then the writing
on Lord Stanley have to as accurate as I can get it. There are so many ways an
artist can paint chrome, I just had to find my own way to do it
right.
I noticed that the
cup I drew first was a little off balanced. I'm thinking you all
remember these little tool from High School Drafting class.
I measured off and I found my centerline on the cup. Once I
found the centerline of the cup. Everything was measured off it
in equal proportions. Then of course the painting began.
When ever I have to paint the hair on a person. It always comes down
to how much detail I want to show. I really don't want to paint
every hair but I also don't want it to look like its just blotches
of colors.
The secret to hairs is to make look like there is a lot of hair
without painting every hair line...
Working from light to darks and then bringing the highlights or
reflection of the camera flash.
What I find the most frustrating about painting with red is how do I
bring out the high lights without making look toooo pink. To over
come this problem I brought out the highlights by painting the white
over top of the red once it dried. This way the two colors didn't
mix..
I painted the white lines in the jersey by first creating the
highlights and shadow to the fabric. Then painted the texture or
lines over top with a blue grey wash. In the shadows I painted the
lines by using a white wash....I even threw some yellowish wash I
had in my palette for added texture and depth.
With the number 19, I gave the fabric bumps and painted the
high and lows of the curvature. I didn't have to do too much work
with the texture because the fabric of the canvas that I am using
shows the same fabric. I then finished it off by painting the
sticking that keeps the numbers on the jersey.
By having the curtain in a dark blue right behind Steve`s head. I
popped out his face out of the canvas.
To view the step by step process go to my
Facebook Fan
Page
A little bit of history...The first Stanley Cup (1893 pic.),
donated by Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley of Preston in 1892: a
flashy silver salad bowl, which is a minimal prerequisite to deserve
the attribution of "trophy". It is the same cup that sits on top of
the current trophy.
The Stanley Cup is engraved with the names of the winning players,
coaches, management, and club staff.
This was not always the case. One of Lord Stanley's original
conditions was that each team could, at their own expense, add a
ring to the Cup to commemorate their victory.
Initially, there was only one base ring, which was attached to the
bottom of the original bowl by the Montreal AAAs. Clubs engraved
their team names, usually in the form "TEAM NAME" "YEAR WON", on
that one ring until it was full in 1902. With no more room to
engrave their names (and unwilling to pay for a second band), teams
left their mark on the bowl itself.
The 1907 Montreal Wanderers became the first club to record their
name on the bowl's interior surface, and the first champion to
record the name of every member of their team.
- en.wikipedia.org
This is an acrylic 16" x 20" on
canvas painting of Steve Yzerman
of the Detroit Red Wings National Hockey League.
By Joe Versikaitis
To view the step by step process go to my
Facebook Fan
Page
Special Thank You to Victor Van Enk and Gainsboro Studios
in Medicine Hat, Alberta
for sponsoring the framing
Photograph of Steve Yzerman used in this painting was taken by
Getty Images, New York City.
