Portraits without Mercy [The Origins]

Everything started with this image:


Image source: http://les-calepins-de-lapin.blogspot.com.es/2012/10/antonio-miguel.html

French illustrator based in Barcelona Lapin generated the first spark portraying a couple of sketchers during a drawing session around ¨Los Encantes¨ (a well known flea market of the city). The accuracy on the expressions of the portrayed struck me and somehow it stayed in the back of my mind. Although they weren't caricatures, neither were typical or kind portraits.

Later on I realised how many portraits, intentionally or not, had this lack of compassion towards the portrayed and how sometimes would also capture a particularly unique and personal facial (or body) expression. After doing one myself (heavily inspired by Lapin's drawing) during the 2013 Usk Symposium in Barcelona, and seeing so many other portraits of this kind in some more sketchers' sketchbooks. I came up with the name for this new type of portraits...¨Portraits without Mercy"... it was a matter of time to finally start this blog.

With the aim of capturing that fine line of detail of the human uniqueness and without any intention of offending anyone... Ladies and gentlemen... it's open season everyone!!!