President Obama

I kind of feel bad because Obama has been in office almost 2 years and a major public figure for almost 5, yet this is the first time ive actually done a finished painting of him. Honestly not sure why it took me so long to do especially since he is one of those people who in my opinion HAS to be drawn. Love him or hate him, any body who has even thought about calling themselves a caricature artist has at least done a sketch of this guy over the past few years and i guess i just felt it was time i throw my hat in the ring. had fun painting this one, i tried out a few things i hadnt done before, some i will continue to do, some i wont. the experimentation is all part of the process i guess. On a side note, ive had a few people question as to how i work on my pieces suggesting im using some sort of photo- manipulation or photoshop filters. i assure you everything is 100% drawing and painting, no short cuts, no warping of photos; and just to prove my point ive included the horrible 25 min sketch this painting started as. anyway i hope you all enjoy, PEACE