A portrait of everyday power. This hammer isn’t just a tool—it’s a symbol of the work ethic that built me, the late nights, the factory shifts, and the determination behind every canvas. Graphite, grit, and precision shading bring out every dent and edge. Simple object, serious presence.
This portrait is the darkest in the series, examining the internal malice that persists even when communication is restricted, illustrating that evil doesn't require a loud voice.
* Visual Focus: The mask's mouth is horrifyingly held closed across the center by surgical thread and a needle, which only covers half of the wide, unnerving smile. The stitching reveals a set of sharp, feral teeth underneath. Disturbingly, a pair of prominent horns protrude from the top of the mask's head.
* Symbolism:
* The Stitched Mouth: Represents the idea of selective silence or the censorship of truth. The fact that the stitching only covers half the mouth highlights the "half-done" nature of modern morality. The revealed sharp teeth suggest that even in silence, the capacity for vicious, cutting, or "devilish" speech remains barely contained. Showed directly on the piece by the date being misleading.
* The Horns: A classic, unambiguous symbol of the Devil or pure malice. This is the figure's core identity—it suggests that even while hiding behind a neutral mask and being partially silenced, the individual's "tongue like the devil" and evil intent are still very much present, emphasizing the inherent corruption and hypocrisy behind the facade.
Daily drawing (#247) of the Joe Rogan Podcast of Neil Degrasse Tyson; astrophysicist, cosmologist, author. Pencil drawing and colored in Procreate. (Time lapse if you swipe or click to see second image; https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm4UwBzlWoy/)
Daily drawing (#309) of the Joe Rogan Podcast of the 2020 democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang. Pencil drawing and colored in Procreate. (Time lapse animation of color being applied can be seen here; https://www.instagram.com/garybernardart)
Joey Diaz is a Cuban-American comedian who was on the Joe Rogan Podcast (for the 1000th time). Shown here smoking a blunt that created a cloud in the podcast studio. Always a fun face to draw.
This is a traditional art illustration produced with Copic markers and Prismacolor colored pencils, on a blanks sketch cover for a Batman rebirth #01 It featuring Joaquin Phoenix from the Joker movie. see more at Sketchcardsandcovers.com
Daily drawing of the Joe Rogan Podcast guest, Brendan Schaub; podcast host, ex-mma fighter, stand-up comedian. Pencil drawing and colored in Procreate.
We all wear masks…some are beautiful, some are ugly, we change them depending on occasions or people we meet, but every mask is just another piece of who we are.
With this portrait I challeged myself to focus more on strokes than variety of techniques and brushes. I mainly used @jingsketch soft square render harmonic brush
Beyoncé is an amazing entertainer and such a loud and powerful voice in not just music, but activism. Her new visual album for her album The Gift is called Black is King. I highly recommend it.
