Michael Phelps Final Sketch

Once again I'm much happier with the likeness on this one. I was still working with a pretty bad lo-res reference photo...ahh, but now he's on the cover of the new S.I. and I'm sure good ones will now be abundant (estimated to make 100 million in endorsements!!!!). Good for him...some times hard work does pay off!!

The Amazing Michael Phelps

*Updated the sketch and I'm much happier with the likeness on this one...now I'll tighten it up





This is Michael Phelps' moment and he has definitely risen to the occassion so far! I'm sure there will be many caricatures of him after Bejing...and although I'm not too happy with this one it's an incentive to attempt him again.
I also added a few other rough sketches should anyone care to add a little C&C.

David Levine at the Met

What a wonderful gift I was given today running into David Levine, one of the all time great caricaturists at the Met. We were both there to see the J.M. Turner show and while walking through the Roman sculpture hallway I happened to glance over and there the Master stood. We had a brief conversation about caricature and he told me he and the New York Review of Books had parted ways (definitely the end of an era), but he looked great and said he's still working although now mainly in pencil foregoing his trademark Pen & Ink.

You know it's funny, people have always commented about my crosshatching and I owe my understanding of that technique partly to the "Master" since it was mainly his work I studied to learn how to do it. Again, what a great honor it was to meet this man and life is certainly strange when you think about how many people were in that museum today and this chance encounter happened...amazing!!

The New York Review of Books
David Levine Caricatures
D. Levine Ink