The 6th of my Northern Irish Legend Portraits is Northern Ireland Born, Acting Superstar LIAM NEESON.
“William John Neeson OBE (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is well known for his roles in action and dramatic films. He has been in numerous popular movies such as "Schindler's List," "Taken," and "The Phantom Menace." Neeson has received critical acclaim for his acting performances and has been nominated for several awards throughout his career.. Neeson was appointed Officer of the Orderof the British Empire (OBE) in 2000.”
‘LIAM’, measuring 122cm x 81cm this piece was a real pleasure to make. Liam Neeson is held in such high regard in NI. He is such an inspirational actor with so many great films underneath his belt. Like so many, my favourite movie would have to be Taken. The character he plays in that, is just such a ‘boss’ excellently executed and so convincing in that role. I can honestly imagine him being just like that in real life 😂
As always I started with a reference pic and this time I wanted to choose it from the era when he shot Taken. I wanted moody but also serious. I love the one I went for.
Starting with my doodle grid I added the outline, this showed me immediately where the piece was heading. Next up was the base-coat which is always fun but shows the piece at its worst. I quickly sorted it by adding the outline back on to the board. I particularly loved working on his eyes, so striking, so direct, a pleasure to paint. The final outcome is outstanding.
Make sure to watch the ‘Making of’ video below, but to sum it up, it was as follows:
Chose a cool reference picture
Roughly whitewashed a board
Threw down some guidelines
Applied my 1st coat of Tin awesomeness
Brought the detail back through with acrylic pen
Applied the ‘Darkness’ 😵💫
Brought The LEGEND to life 😉
You’re welcome
50 Limited Edition Full-Size Prints
250 Limited Edition A3 Prints
For all my graffiti series, I produce a limited edition print run. When they’re gone, they’re gone (that’s when your print goes up in value for you collectors out there).
My limited edition runs are high-quality, Hahnemuehle 310gsm German Etching prints. Produced on white art paper made from 100% alpha-cellulose is characterised by its extraordinary velvety tactile feel and its fine clearly defined felt structure. The unique surface texture adds a very special touch to images, showcasing them in all their splendour with impressive three-dimensional effect and depth To top it all off, they are signed and hand-numbered by myself.
Rolled limited edition prints are dispatched first class, recorded delivery, in strong postal tubes and must be signed for upon receipt.
