Roosevelt and His Rough Riders

I’ve been recently involved in a number of projects for Buffalo and Company. I am going to show you the results of my work in this and a few next posts. Today I want to show a stylized image of Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders based on the famous photograph of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry regiment, also known as the Rough Riders, made by photographer William Dinwiddie.

The reference picture of Roosevelt's Rough Riders

The drawing was to be placed on pocket t-shirts produced by Buffalo & Company to honor brave men and express company’s concern over today’s extensive feminization of men’s fashion. Drawing all soldiers on the reference picture too thoroughly would be time consuming and expensive but I thought that using my signature drawing technique (cross-hatching) could result in a somewhat sketchy but rather cool looking image of Roosevelt and the Rough Riders. This stylized image, I believe, is perfect for a tee.

Roosevelt and his Rough Riders (drawing by Igor Lukyanov)

And again I learned an interesting story from the United States history. It’s kinda cool how the Rough Riders regiment had been gathered. It had been formed of volunteers who were cowboys, American Indians, college athletes, ranchers, gold or mining prospectors, hunters, gamblers, former military men etc. Only the strongest and the most capable men had been selected to join the regiment. This story reminds me of Hollywood movies about selecting the most talented, capable and brave soldiers to accomplish the most impossible military missions.

Roosevelt's Rough Riders t-shirt by Buffalo and Company

I think that the image of Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders is the perfect choice to use as a symbol of genuine masculinity reflected in character, deeds and fashion.

Watch this video on Youtube

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Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was among those famous men whose portraits I had drawn for Buffalo and Company (you can see other famous men portraits I have done and read about this assignment of mine using the corresponding links after this post). I have always been amazed at the number of absolutely outstanding US presidents. This is probably one of the reasons why America has turned into the first world’s economy. Teddy Roosevelt is a kind of a president every nation dreams about. He displayed his strong nature from his early life, being a weak and unhealthy child, he did his best to go in for sports and live an active life. Roosevelt’s excellent education and vigor had formed that intelligence which allowed him to become the youngest president in the USA history. Apart from his progressive political activity (which, in fact, does not represent the main interest in our case) Roosevelt was a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier. He supported John Muir’s ideas about preservation of American wilderness and creation of national parks. The most interesting fact about Teddy Roosevelt for me is that he refused to run for re-election in 1908 to embark on a safari to Africa and a trip to Europe. It shows how thirsty he was for adventures. Theodore Roosevelt had actually become the model of masculinity for combining those characteristics a real man ought to have. And those characteristics helped him to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States of America.

As a reference I used a picture of Theodore Roosevelt made during his service as a Lieutenant Colonel during the war in Cuba. While I was shooting the video something had happened with my camera and it had shut down 10 minutes before I finished the drawing. But I believe you will love the video anyway.

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Watch this video on Youtube

Teddy Roosevelt T-Shirt

And here is how a Theodore Roosevelt t-shirt itself looks like:

Teddy Roosevelt t-shirt

My other famous men portraits:
Roosevelt and his Rough Riders
George Washington portrait
Portrait of Ernest Hemingway
Portrait of John Muir
Portrait of General Robert E. Lee
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Portrait of Winston Churchill
Portrait of George W. Bush
John F. Kennedy Portrait

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