Today was a busy day at the university. I spent around six hours there, dealing with different tasks and responsibilities. When I finally returned home, despite feeling tired, I decided to spend some time #painting . I started drawing, and gradually found myself immersed in a world that has always been a way for me to step away from the noise of everyday life. The result is a painting that I am personally quite happy with, and I would like to share a little about how it came to life.
I began with #charcoal and Conte pencil, building the initial structure of the #portrait through lines, shadows, and contrasts. Then I gradually introduced blue, allowing it to mix with the black charcoal in certain areas, creating deeper and darker shades.
In this #painting , I used blue not simply as a color to illuminate the face, but as a kind of light within the darkness. At first, this might seem contradictory, because we usually associate light with bright or warm colors. But light doesn't always have to be yellow or white. Sometimes blue can shine through the darkness, creating a cold, quiet, yet deeply #expressive atmosphere.
After that, I added a very small amount of green, allowing the two colors to interact and create another layer of visual depth.
I deliberately avoided covering the entire portrait with color. I wanted parts of the original charcoal #drawing to remain visible because preserving the importance of the #drawing was essential to me. The color was never meant to replace the drawing, but rather to exist alongside its lines, shadows, and dark areas, giving them a different meaning.
In this work, #darkness is not simply the absence of light; it is the space in which light finds its meaning. Perhaps if I had covered the entire face with color, the contrast and relationship between light and darkness would not have been felt so strongly.
Sometimes, even the smallest presence of a color can transform the entire atmosphere of a painting.
This time, my choice was blue — a blue that wasn't meant to erase the darkness, but to be seen within it.
I would also like to sincerely thank everyone who supports my work, follows my artistic journey, and takes the time to read and appreciate my posts. Your support and encouragement mean a lot to me and give me the motivation to keep creating and sharing my art.
And if you would like to have your own portrait painted, you are always welcome to send me your photograph. I would be happy to turn your face and its unique expressions into a painting.
Thank you for being here and being part of my artistic journey. ❤️ Hossein Rishehri