top of page
JIMMI TORO PORTRAITS
GRAPHITE
LINES
REALISM
EXPRESSIONISM
ABSTRACT
MYTHOLOGY
AMINALS
SPECIALTY
GRAPHITE
These art works are all created with graphite, charcoal, and pure oils on the highest quality, acid-free, buffered, cold pressed, 300 gsm, 100% cotton paper.
LINES
This style is influenced by the etchings of Rembrandt, Dürer, Callot, and others. Over the decades, I have developed my own approach to this timeless form of artistic expression.
REALISM
This style is the most traditional form of portrait painting, characterized by conventional skin and hair colors, shadows, and lighting. I mix this tradition with my signature style to create these paintings.
EXPRESSIONISM
As the word implies, form, colors, brushstrokes, and line work become distorted or exaggerated, and a focus on feeling over realism starts to take over.
ABSTRACT
Abstract approaches to portrait work are interesting in that so many of the rules of traditional portrait work don’t apply. More focus is placed on the essence and emotion, resulting in wonderful surprises.
MYTHOLOGY
From Greek Gods to mythical creatures, this kind of work allows me to interpret these figures based on story tradition, existing artist renditions, or to just interpret them myself.
ANIMALS
Painting animals is so similar to painting humans. One of the main differences between some animals and most humans is that they have more hair on their faces than most humans.
SPECIALTY
Occasionally, I have a client who wants to approach a portrait from a completely different perspective, as you can see in this example, hidden under the abstraction and behind the pose of her body.
Painting portraits always involves a fair amount of time communicating with the person commissioning the portrait. We consider the right photograph to use, which style resonates with them, and we review the many different portrait examples I have done to help with that process. I produce as many sketches and digital mock-ups as necessary to get everything just right before I begin the painting process.
Your portrait can be painted on a wood panel with a thick (1 to 2 inches) finished and painted edge, ready to hang, or on a canvas with a thick finished edge (or not, if a frame is to be added). The GRAPHITE style of portraits are created on thick paper, which will most likely require framing.
bottom of page