Andy Heckathorne, husband, father, artist, scooter rider.
My friend, artist and fellow Vespa scooter rider, Andy Heckathorne, surprised me with a portrait of me with my scooter. Aside from a stick figure I got for $10 from a scam artist at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, this is the first non-photographic representation of me I’ve ever seen.
It feels exactly right.
From the camera around my neck, the cross-armed pose, the details of the scooter, to the snowy landscape of the forest, it’s a perfect portrayal of the relationship I have with riding a Vespa. Andy even got the graying hair right.
Scooterist in the Sticks
I wanted to share the picture, in part to present Andy’s outstanding skill as an artist, but also to announce that I’ll be posting an interview with him on Monday. When I asked if he would be willing to talk about his riding experiences I had no idea he was working on this project.
I’m passionate about what I do. I try to make good photographs and write things that make sense. My goal for each post is for it to be the best so far. That may sound unrealistic or even a little arrogant. But I’m reminded of a quote from Michelangelo:
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”
I’ve been happily laboring with my camera and computer and feel I’ve been working hard. But then I asked Andy how he makes a portrait like the one he did of me. He told me he produced it on his iPad using an application called Procreate. It was designed to allow an artist or designer to produce complex illustrations and graphics.
The application will store all the steps involved in a project and allows them to be brought together in a video animation that gives the viewer a sense of what was involved in the creation of the final image. When I watched the video, I realized I’m not working hard at all.
Behind the Creative Scenes
If you have a spare three minutes, take a look at the video to see how complicated the actual production of an illustration like this can be.
Again, I can’t thank you enough Andy for the wonderful gift you’ve created.
Well, wow. I know I’m replying rather quickly, but boy, I think he nailed it. He clearly gets you, and when someone manages this, it’s not a trifling thing, be it a photograph, drawing, painting, or any mashup in-between. Can’t wait for the interview.
I agree. I think he really did capture me well. At least as I see myself. You never really know how others see you!
Working on putting the interview together now in WordPress.
I really like it and what a process!
Yeah, the process just blew me away. I love seeing how artists and craftsman work.
I am so glad there are artistic people in this world. I can’t draw a straight line without a ruler.
I’ve wished I could draw for the last 50 years. But wishing and dreaming won’t make it so. Maybe it’s time to take a drawing class! That video has inspired me. Like you, right now, I can’t draw a straight line either.
Amazing process indeed! I own an IPad Pro and mostly only read my newspaper and ebooks, I feel like a juvenile after watching Andy’s creation. Kudos to the artist 👨🎨
I can’t imagine how he did what he did even after seeing the video. I’ll have to inquire if he’s using a stylus or something to draw with, of just his fingers. Amazing stuff.
Fantastic illustration!
Other than it’s of me, it is fantastic!
Wow, that is SO you! He did a wonderful job of capturing your personality as I’ve learned about it from your posts. Well done!
Andy does exceptional work. You can see some of it on his website. AND he’s a serious Vespa rider!
You can see that Andy [andyheckathorne.com] is an amazing artist with a gift of seeing, which you will surely reveal in your interview. He really rocks that Procreate. Love the camera and the Vespa headlight !
Andy is a gifted artist, without pretense or posturing. He has my new Fuji X100F around my neck and in the video, I love how the headlight comes on at the end.
Good to hear from you John. I’ve sort of fallen out of touch with the ZONERS. Not sure why since I have far more time now than when I was working.
The video was really something. It looked like a lot of fun to draw. I see you changed the cameras angle and partially tucked it behind his arm in the end.
The attention to detail amazed me. And as you have always taught Paul —“BAM!”
Hi Steve. Was this portrait made based on an existing photo of you? In the drawn portrait you look like smiling, but I don’t remember ever seeing a pic of you in your posts where you would noticeably smile by any stretch of imagination. Now, please don’t take this in a bad way, I am sure the smile is there on the inside 😉 And you do make lot of us smile with your blog. As always, thank you!
I’m not sure what Andy based the portrait on. I’ve reached out to him about it so he’ll probably answer here.
Smiling? I guess I see more of the smirk I usually have. I looked through the site media library and most have the smirk, a few more serious, and a couple have grins. But generally, I don’t smile in pictures I guess.
Like you say though, I am smiling on the inside!
You can’t beat a good smirk in a photograph. Always looks more real than a forced smile……….which I’m terrible at!
I have the smirk down. I’m still working on a smile but feel that if it were going to happen it would have happened by now. No future for me in politics I guess if I can put on that look on demand.
Hi Josef–great question! Since this specific composition is a figment of my imagination, it was based on multiple photos.
For Steve’s face and expression, I was fortunate to have a photo that was taken a couple years ago when we’d gone for a ride. For Steve’s upper body and crossed arms, I used an image I’d found here on his blog where he is standing with his back against a wall in a similar pose. The only problem was that he was wearing a different jacket, so that meant a different photo reference for that as well.
Steve’s Vespa was much easier to find reference for here on the blog. Again I used 2 or 3 images to get the particular angle and lighting I was looking for, including the helmet positioned on the seat. A photo of my own Vespa was used as reference for the glowing headlight.
WOW!!
Yeah, that was my first reaction as well. And looking at the video of the actual production of the image I admit I felt a little lazy being a photographer!