© 2019 Rob. All rights reserved.

The Intercontinental Championship

Ink, watercolor, spray and acrylic on 30″ x 22″ watercolor paper

Here it is, the second addition to the smash hit Championship Series, this time featuring the Intercontinental Championship. The approach I’m using on these paintings, a mix of ink, watercolor, spray paint and acrylic paint seems to really work. The watercolor and spray paint especially create a lot of happy accidents and texture, plus I’m using an oversized brush to apply the ink, keeping me from getting too precise or in my head. The only point where I’m trying to hit the detail is with the white acrylic paint, which is applied last.

I got asked a lot with the last one how I managed to make it really shine and the white being applied last is the secret, especially since it’s only used on the highlights. The overall techniques used I feel make these feel tactile, like you’re able to reach out and touch the championship belt itself. With my portraits, I try to get across the FEELING of the subject, of what it’s like to watch them and the emotions they create within us, as much as what they look like.

Something that’s made me hesitant to do paintings of just the championships is that they’re inanimate objects, only really made to mean something by the people who have fought over them. When I finally settled on how I’d tackle them on a technical level, everything fell into place.

Thanks for doing your part in making these such a huge success. You continue to rock.