Old Photos

I have long been inspired by old photographs. Not so much the technology, but more importantly the stories behind the baggy suits, high-piled hair, starched lace, elaborate back drops, and significant props.

I began using my collection of pictures to test out new mediums and refresh my art skills. In doing so, I found that sharing my exercise, and photographs, with young people has been an incredibly rewarding program. Not only can I teach them about terms like ‘profile’, but I am able to prompt them to explore the shape of a face. Where the eyes fall within that shape, how close they are together, and how much of that face is devoted to a nose, the length of a mouth. The fact that the sepia toned people looking back at the viewers are unknown, the artist looks a little harder. Because the historic people are wearing unexpected clothing, the young artists study their attire a bit more closely. But, the very best part of all is that I get to talk to the kids about why I collected that photograph. I get to explain that it’s because that person has something quirky about them. Something unusual. Something that makes them stand out and be interesting and notable. Is it their enormous ears? Tiny eyes? Prodigious proboscis (big, funny words for big nose)? And getting the young people to talk about these so called ‘imperfections’ might just get one budding illustrator to consider that it is these exact qualities that make each one of us special, unique, and memorable.

On this page I’ll share some of my old photo drawings and some of their inspirations. Be sure to follow me on Instagram where I try (and often fail) to challenge myself to post #oldphotofriday.