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Showing posts with label famous men portraits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label famous men portraits. Show all posts

Robert E. Lee on His Horse

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I keep on telling you about artworks commissioned by Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. (ex Buffalo and Company). And today’s artwork features General Robert E. Lee – a commander of the armed forces of the Confederate States of America. This is second time that I create a drawing featuring Robert E. Lee for this company but this time the drawing depicts Robert E. Lee on his horse called Traveller. The drawing is based on a well-known photo taken during the American Civil War.

Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller
General Robert E. Lee on his horse Traveller

photo of Robert E. Lee on his horse
This drawing is based on the famous photo of Lee and his horse

I believe that the idea to add the Lee’s horse design to the collection of t-shirts from Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. was prompted to guys from the company by the General’s letter to his wife’s cousin, Markie Williams, who wanted to paint a portrait of Traveller. The letter went like this:

If I was an artist like you, I would draw a true picture of Traveller; representing his fine proportions, muscular figure, deep chest, short back, strong haunches, flat legs, small head, broad forehead, delicate ears, quick eye, small feet, and black mane and tail. Such a picture would inspire a poet, whose genius could then depict his worth, and describe his endurance of toil, hunger, thirst, heat and cold; and the dangers and suffering through which he has passed. He could dilate upon his sagacity and affection, and his invariable response to every wish of his rider. He might even imagine his thoughts through the long night-marches and days of the battle through which he has passed. But I am no artist Markie, and can therefore only say he is a Confederate gray.

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Portrait of General George S. Patton

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Portrait of General George S. Patton is my other contribution to the Heritage t-shirt series produced by Buffalo and Company.

General George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr.

Well, the US army has always been one of the most powerful armed forces of the modern world. It is naturally that such military power scares many of those who confronts and hates America openly or covertly. You can hear a lot of hateful words and accusation being said against the USA military activities in today’s world. But laying politics (which is a very dirty business sometimes) aside and leaving nothing but dry facts, one cannot deny that the United States of America have managed to build the most powerful army within a relatively short span of country’s history. And I am sure that whatever other nations think about America and their armed forces, the majority of the US citizens have a lot of reasons to respect and be proud of their military history. George S. Patton had been one of the main contributors to the outstanding development of the United States Army, therefore Buffalo and Company included the General to their Hall of Fame to honor his name and deeds.


Related posts:
Portrait of Harry S. Truman
Portrait of Winston Churchill
General Stonewall Jackson portrait
General Robert E. Lee

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Portrait of Adam Smith

Friday, December 2, 2011

Portrait of Adam Smith belongs to the serious of famous men portraits created by me for Buffalo and Company.

Adam Smith, portrait
Adam Smith (social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy)

Have you ever wondered why the USA remains one of the most economically developed countries in the world? My strong belief is that the reason for a wonderful economical success of the United States was the wisdom of country’s first leaders who were greatly inspired by freedom and who had chosen and adapted economical theories which guaranteed freedom and equality of rights of each American citizen as much as it was possible within the bounds of the active legislation. Therefore it was not surprising that American intellectual leaders noticed and got interested in Adam Smith’s economic theory laid out in his “Wealth of Nations” in which he outlined the ideas of the so-called “laissez faire” philosophy. The phrase laissez faire is French and means "let do", i.e., when applied to Smith’s views, it is of paramount importance for the government not to seek to interfere in people’s economical activity unless it is an illegal business. It is now proved by the history that providing as much freedom for business as possible results in positive economical development of the country due to a sound competition and fair legislation.


I do not want to say that Adam Smith’s economic theories are perfect as there is nothing perfect in this world. However one cannot deny that the ideas of Adam Smith laid the foundation of today’s economical success of the United States of America. No wonder that Buffalo and Company chose Adam Smith as one of the greatest men who they and their customers would honor by wearing t-shirts featuring my portrait of this famous economist.

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Portrait of John Wayne

Sunday, October 30, 2011

John Wayne was not only an icon symbolizing American values and ideals he was also an actor whose characters in their majority exemplified the universal image of a rugged gentleman whose courage, appearance and actions set standards of masculinity. When Buffalo & Company organized a poll on their Facebook page in which their customers were asked to share their thoughts about what men should be honored for personifying classic values of manhood, it was not surprising that quite a few people voted for John Wayne. As a result I was commissioned to draw a portrait of John Wayne.

John Wayne, portrait
John Wayne aka Duke

There are some interesting facts about John Wayne which are especially curious to me as I was born in USSR. According to Wikipedia Joseph Stalin was a fan of John Wayne's movies, although Stalin had ordered to assassinate the actor as John Wayne was an ardent anti-communist with an incredible popularity in the USA. Stalin died before his order could be carried out and his successor personally rescinded the order. Another interesting fact is that there were not many Western movies made in the USA which penetrated the Iron Curtain and were shown in Soviet Union cinemas. However one of Wayne’s movies called “Stagecoach” ran in Soviet cinemas. In USSR the film was shown under the title “The Journey will be Dangerous”. It means that values and ideas depicted in John Wayne’s movies are rather universal and comprehensible not only by Americans.


I can only imagine how extremely popular John Wayne was (and still is) in the USA. But there is a fact which tells me a lot about the actor’s popularity. It is a rare thing when a public location is named after an actor. However there are several public places named after John Wayne in the United States among which I can mention John Wayne Airport (Orange County, California) and John Wayne Elementary School (Brooklyn, New York). There is also John Wayne Cancer Institute founded by actor’s son to find the cure for the disease which had taken the movie star away from millions of his fans. Thus the name of John Wayne lives on to keep the memory of the great actor in a special place in American people’s hearts for many generations to come.

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Portrait of Hank Williams, Jr.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Hank Williams, Jr. portrait is the second artwork created for Buffalo & Company’s American Music Legend T-shirt Series.

Hank Williams Jr., portrait
Hank Williams, Jr. aka Bocephus

I have already told in my blog post dedicated to the portrait of Johnny Cash that country music is probably one of only a few music styles which absorbed the wisdom and philosophy of many generations of American men. Those men had actually built the country which became the home for the world’s most powerful nation for a relatively short period of time. I believe such a stunning success of the American nation was possible because, from its very cradle, the country was ruled by men who appreciated the basic values of manhood passed from generation to generation, including courage and intelligence. But rulers are not the only ones who build a nation as it is impossible to do it without average men and women whose hands and brains play a great role in the prosperity of every country. These average Joes and Janes preserved their experience, both positive and negative, in the form of music. Country music is probably the closest to the hearts of those US people who still honor courage, thirst for adventure and other real men’s values in times when such values are often forgotten.


Buffalo & Company has built their brand on honoring classic masculine values through men’s apparel they produce. No wonder they pay special attention to legendary country singers as Johnny Cash and Hank Williams Jr. whose appearance and art express the old spirit of a real man. Unfortunately, being a celebrity, Hank Williams Jr. is not easy to reach in order to get his permission to use his portrait on t-shirts. May be one day Mr. Williams will read this post and watch the video showing how his portrait was created and he might want to contact Buffalo & Company to discuss conditions on which he could allow selling t-shirts featuring his face. I believe he would be pleased to be honored by Buffalo & Company and their customers alongside with the great Johnny Cash, American presidents and other famous men. If one day Buffalo & Company gets his permission I’ll update this post with a picture of a Hank Williams, Jr. t-shirt.

Related posts:
Johnny Cash Portrait

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Portrait of Harry S. Truman

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Another US president whose portrait I made for Buffalo & Company was Harry S. Truman.

Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (33rd President of the United States)

As you might know from my previous posts, Buffalo & Company advocates classic values of manhood in men’s lifestyle, fashion and character. The company designs clothes with the heritage of men in mind opposing their brand to today’s trends in men’s fashion promoting the image of pretty-boys instead of rugged gentlemen strengthen with the life full of challenges. Buffalo & Company honors men whose courage and resolution, talents and charisma, intelligence and wisdom totally correspond to the classic image of a man. Harry S. Truman can definitely be among those men honored by Buffalo & Company. A president of a country, especially such a big and powerful country as the USA, is the person who faces an enormous number of challenges in his daily life. I cannot even imagine how difficult and tough must be the life of a president whose country is in war as the destiny of the whole nation depends on his decisions. But even if he takes unpopular decisions, the President must be an extraordinary person to lead the nation to the victory and never loose the universal esteem years after.


Related posts:
Winston Churchill portrait
John F. Kennedy Portrait
Teddy Roosevelt portrait

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Andrew Jackson Portrait

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

My next portrait created for Buffalo & Company and their Heritage t-shirt series features Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States.

Andrew Jackson portrait
Andrew Jackson, aka Old Hickory

Andrew Jackson t-shirt
Andrew Jackson t-shirt by Buffalo and Company

Well, Andrew Jackson is far from being the most favorite president for the Americans as he is widely criticized for his support of slavery and the Indian removal policy. However, I believe, nobody can deny Andrew Jackson’s big role in laying an important brick in the foundation of today’s American democracy and one of the most effective political systems. Just read the Wikipedia article on Andrew Jackson to get convinced that some of reforms started by the 7th president of the USA were of considerable importance and wisdom for today’s free and democratic society of the United States.


Related posts:
George Washington Portrait
Thomas Jefferson portrait

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General Stonewall Jackson Portrait

Friday, September 2, 2011

I keep on working closely with Buffalo and Company to create custom portraits for their Heritage t-shirt series. It is fun to draw portraits of famous people and learn more about the history of the Unites States of America at the same time. One of the latest portraits drawn by me for Buffalo and Company was the portrait of an American Civil War general Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson.

Portrait of Stonewall Jackson


General Stonewall Jackson, portrait
Portrait of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson

Stonewall Jackson is probably a very controversial personality in the eyes of many Americans as he was one of confederate commanders along with General Robert E. Lee whose portrait I have already drawn for Buffalo and Company. But what really amazes me about the United States is that there were enough wise people to organize the Lost Cause movement purposed to reconcile and unite societies of the American South and North. As a result Americans can freely honor soldiers and leaders of both belligerents today. And this is not what can be often seen in countries where civil wars occurred.


Stonewall Jackson T-Shirt


confederate general Stonewall Jackson t-shirt
Stonewall Jackson t-shirt by Buffalo and Company


Related posts:
My second portrait of General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee and his horse

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John F. Kennedy Portrait

Friday, June 3, 2011

The portrait of John F. Kennedy was another artwork created by me for Buffalo & Company’s Famous Men T-shirt series. John Kennedy is probably one of the most famous US presidents. However, outside the United States this president is mostly known because of being assassinated and all that mystery around his murder. Nevertheless people whose knowledge about John Fitzgerald Kennedy extends beyond his mysterious assassination consider the President Kennedy one of the greatest presidents of the United States even in spite of being the youngest one. JFK actually became a political idol for quite a lot of people even outside of the USA.

Portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John F. Kennedy portrait
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John F. Kennedy t-shirt
John F. Kennedy t-shirt by Buffalo & Company

John F. Kennedy was one of the first presidents to face challenges of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In this respect JFK’s activity is of special interest to me as I was born in the USSR. It’s great to be able to learn more about this president and listen to his speeches which had been unavailable for average Soviet people. Youtube and Wikipedia provide the access to such information today and I really enjoy the opportunity of getting to know John F. Kennedy’s heritage further. I love how passionate, patriotic and encouraging Kennedy’s speeches were. It seems that he truly believed in what he said and there was a kind of energy in his words that made people believe his promises too. His speeches inspire me greatly, most probably because of lack of politicians of such caliber in my country. That’s why when creating the drawing progress video I included a few famous quotes by President John F. Kennedy to the background music (soundtrack from the movie “JFK”). You can watch the video below.

AD ZONE: Amazon's Bestsellers Related to John F. Kennedy

What I also understood while learning about John F. Kennedy was that rivalry with the USSR had actually had a very positive influence on the USA with respect to technological development, human rights protection and the freedom of speech in the United States. The rivalry between two super powers was like a competition between two businesses compelling to create better products and services to be ahead of the competitor. This competition resulted in the need to protect and cherish the national values Americans are so proud of today such as equal rights of any individual, patriotism and urge towards being the best in any sphere of life. Ideological opposition to the USSR as well as ardent desire of Americans to compete in technological sectors allowed the United States to create a society offering a better life standards and fair rewards for work and skills not only for Americans themselves but also for other people from all over the world willing to assist in further improvement of people’s lives and maintaining values of a democratic society.


Related posts:
Portrait of George W. Bush
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Harry S. Truman portrait
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson
George Washington Portrait

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Portrait of George W. Bush

Saturday, March 12, 2011

I continue working for Buffalo and Company and I have been recently commissioned to draw another portrait for the heritage t-shirts series – the portrait of George W. Bush. This is the first portrait for the famous men series depicting a still living president. George Bush has recently left office and his successes and mistakes are still fresh in the American people’s memory. May be that’s why he is a rather controversial personality with a lot of people criticizing him for the Iraq War and other unpopular actions as well as a great number of Americans supporting him for his resoluteness and willingness to protect his country by all means. I am not a U.S. resident and that is why I consider myself far from being competent enough to discuss failures and successes of the President of the United States of America. My job is drawing portraits, but not talking about politics. I can only suggest you reading of what Wikipedia tells about George Walker Bush if you want to learn more about the 43rd President of the United States. In any case, t-shits with the portrait of George Bush are apparently created for those who respect and support Bush. I hope those people will appreciate my George Bush portrait and will proudly wear t-shits with the portrait which are to be released by Buffalo and Company very soon.

George Bush Portrait


George W. Bush portrait
George Walker Bush

Related posts:
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson
George Washington Portrait

Read more...

Lewis and Clark Portraits

Saturday, January 15, 2011

It’s always great to visit places you have never seen before. Thirst for discoveries seems to be present in every man’s heart. There is not a great deal of undiscovered spots on earth today. Not a lot of people are lucky to experience adventurous exploration voyages at present. I can imagine how people would be excited to discover lands that are totally unknown to any civilized nation. There is hardly a tiny little island which has not been discovered and described by earlier explorers. But some 200 years ago there were two lucky men who led the first expedition to undiscovered lands of the whole continent stretching before their eyes. These men were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

I had never heard about Lewis and Clark before I was commissioned to draw portraits of these explorers. I was amazed to discover fact about Lewis and Clark expedition. They were so lucky to be able to undertake this long voyage up the Missouri River and to be the first to get acquainted with Native American tribes and to discover new animal species and plants.

For those who know nothing about Lewis and Clark (mostly for non-Americans) here is a very short outline and a few facts about the expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In 1803 president Thomas Jefferson managed to purchase Louisiana from France. This was a territory of 828,000 square miles (2,144,510 square km) of undiscovered land. On Jefferson’s request Congress approved $2,500 budget for the organization of an exploratory expedition to the west along the Missouri River. Thomas Jefferson chose Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the expedition, and Lewis, in his turn, asked another Army officer, William Clark to be his helper and partner during the trip. The mission of the expedition was to discover new territories of purchased Louisiana, to establish diplomatic relations with Native American tribes living in the area and to find the possibility to reach the Pacific Ocean by water. Lewis and Clark's expedition began on May 21, 1804 and it took two years for explorers to get to the Ocean and to return to the place where the voyage had started (St. Louis, Missouri) on September 23, 1806. During the risky expedition the team of 33 men lost only one member who died of appendicitis. Lewis and Clark discovered a great deal of natural resources, documented more than 100 animals and 170 plants. Furthermore they managed to create a lot of extremely useful maps which later were indispensable while settling the Old West and further expanding the territory of the USA. The expedition established peaceful relations with most of American Indians living along the Missouri River and gathered knowledge about them.

Lewis and Clark were brave and extremely smart men and diplomats. It’s no wonder that Buffalo and Company wanted me to create their portraits for the famous men t-shirts series in order to immortalize the memory of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for people who honor real men’s courage, style of life and other classic masculine values.

Here are my portraits of Lewis and Clark. You are also welcome to watch the drawing progress video below. In the video I used classic Native American music along with classic European compositions which, very probably, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and President Jefferson himself loved to listen to.

Portraits of Lewis and Clark


Meriwether Lewis portrait
Meriwether Lewis

William Clark
William Clark

Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark


Related posts:
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson
John Muir portrait
Portrait of Ernest Shackleton

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Ernest Shackleton Portrait

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Have you ever experienced severe frosts? If you have, you must know that playing with cold is as dangerous as playing with fire. You probably remember how unpleasantly frost bites your nose and painfully pierces your skin with its invisible claws. These sharp hurting pricks do not feel good at all to most of us and they are not something people want to experience over and over. Now imagine how cold it can be in the Antarctic and the Arctic regions where temperature can be as low as record −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) in Antarctica (the mean annual temperature of the interior being −57°C (−70°F)) and as the Arctic lowest temperature of −68 °C (−90 °F) (average winter temperatures being −40 °C (−40 °F)). It is not a brainer that only a few most brave men can rush into merciless low temperatures attempting to discover and explore the world of eternal snows. Ernest Shackleton was one of those courageous men who challenged severe Antarctic and Arctic frosts.

In fact, Ernest Shackleton was one of the first who undertook a very risky expedition to conquer the South Pole. Although he had not reached the Pole, Shackleton was the first man to attain the latitude of 88°23′S, which was the record at that time, and to make some essential explorations of Antarctic territories. Ernest Shackleton returned several times to Antarctica and explored arctic territories during his life in spite of all the difficulties he experienced in the course of his expeditions. What is the most amazing for me is that a trip to the Antarctic with the equipment of early 1900s was almost as challenging as a voyage to the moon today. Ernest Shackleton was aware of all risks he would face in the realm of deathly frost but it never stopped him from daring to conger the most severe place on our planet. Even his heart disease could not prevent Shackleton from striving to reach unfriendly territories of the Earth’s poles.

The portrait of Ernest Shackleton, a man of outstanding endurance and courage, was drawn by me for the famous men t-shirts series produced by Buffalo and Company.


Portrait of Ernest Shackleton


Ernest Shackleton portrait
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton


Related posts:
John Muir portrait
Lewis and Clark Portraits

Read more...

George Washington Portrait

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

George Washington was the first president of the United States and even this fact alone tells a lot about his personality. He had to have outstanding qualities of a leader to be elected as a president in times when almost every man who could be a presidential aspirant had been hardened in wars, long travels, dangerous expeditions and difficult living conditions of new unexplored territories. George Washington was a farmer, a soldier, an explorer and a politician, which means that he was a hard-working, brave and smart person. Washington was a born leader and during his time of presidency he had enough power and respect to make the United States another kingdom with himself as a king, which seems to be natural as Washington was from Europe where most of the countries were ruled by a monarch. However, Washington had chosen another way of governing the country thereby developing the forms and rituals of government that are common in today’s USA and which form the foundation of essential democratic values.

George Washington is another great example of a person who combines courage, leadership qualities and intellectual vigor. No doubt that he must be included into the constellation of great men who were chosen by Buffalo and Company for the heritage t-shirts series.

Portrait of George Washington


George Washington portrait
George Washington



Related posts:
John F. Kennedy Portrait
Andrew Jackson Portrait
Thomas Jefferson portrait
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Portrait of George W. Bush

Read more...

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson

Friday, January 7, 2011

Thomas Jefferson was the third and one of the greatest presidents of the United States. During his presidency the USA purchased Louisiana and started exploration of unknown territories (Wild West), with Lewis and Clark Expedition being the first major expedition to the American Old West. Jefferson also laid down the foundation of today’s democracy and freedom the United States are so proud of. Thomas Jefferson was an extraordinary man whose wisdom, cleverness and talents won him the respect of people of the USA and other nations. Therefore Buffalo and Company could not help having a portrait of Thomas Jefferson for its heritage t-shirts series which had been commissioned from me.

As always I show work progress video along with the portrait itself. When watching this video you can enjoy wonderful music of Arcangelo Corelli – one of Jefferson’s most favorite composers. One of interesting facts about Thomas Jefferson is that he was a passionate music lover and an amateur violinist. I really enjoy when I manage to convey the atmosphere of the époque through music in my videos.

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson


Thomas Jefferson portrait
Thomas Jefferson


Related posts:
Lewis and Clark Portraits
George Washington portrait
Andrew Jackson Portrait
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
John F. Kennedy Portrait
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Portrait of George W. Bush

Read more...

Portrait of Winston Churchill

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Sir Winston Churchill is another person who “qualifies” to be among those whose portraits Buffalo and Company has chosen for its "famous men t-shirts series".

Churchill is respected by both American and British people because he led the United Kingdom through the bitter years of the most bloody and awful war which ever occurred. Being the Prime Minister of one of the most powerful European countries - a country that had an advantageous geographical position in regard to military strategy - Churchill was one of only a few statesmen who could make a contribution to the victory against a powerful enemy. He was the one whose actions and decisions could change the destiny of the whole Europe and even the United States. I can only imagine how difficult it is to rule a country during times of war when millions of lives depend on you while any of your decisions can make you a complete loser or a hero in the eyes of future generations. Although there are quite a few people who criticize Winston Churchill for various reasons, what I personally think, being a person born in the former USSR, is that Sir Winston Churchill is worth being respected for his ability to keep his country powerful enough during the war to be able to keep a great part of Europe away from non-democratic regimes after the war. This fact alone makes him a great, brave and wise man who is worth being honored in my opinion.

Portrait of Winston Churchill


Winston Churchill portrait
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill


Related posts:
Harry S. Truman portrait
Portrait of Ronald Reagan
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

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Portrait of Ronald Reagan

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

I have been recently commissioned to continue creating drawings for the series of famous men t-shirts by Buffalo and Company. This time it’s a portrait of Ronal Reagan – the 40th president of the United States.

If you follow my blog for comparatively long time you might know that Buffalo and Company sells clothing for real man who love traveling and hunting. Buffalo and Company pays tribute to good old masculinity and classic men’s values opposing its fashion to today’s popular tendencies of shifting from a rugged style of brave men hunters and warriors who love adventures to unmanly metrosexual styles of men's apparel.

It’s kinda funny that, being born in USSR, today I draw a portrait of Ronald Reagan – a person who was a big part in working hard to dissolve Soviet Union. Moreover, I draw the picture of Reagan for Americans who honor his deeds in fighting against communism. However, I am not mad at him, because I love living in independent Ukraine now. The concept of communism is too good to be true. USSR stood on the foundation which could not keep nations together for a long time. I am glad we are not hidden under the “Iron Curtain” from the rest of the world today. We still have some residue USSR problems but I hope that future generations of Ukrainians will manage to overcome them.

Portrait of Ronald Reagan


Ronald Reagan portrait
Ronald Reagan


Related posts:
George Washington portrait
Portrait of Thomas Jefferson
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of Winston Churchill
Portrait of George W. Bush
John F. Kennedy Portrait

Read more...

Portrait of Ernest Hemingway

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Ernest Hemingway is probably one of the most well-known men whose portraits I drew so far for the series of famous men t-shirts by 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). A lot of people outside the USA may have not a slightest idea about who Robert E. Lee, John Muir and even Theodore Roosevelt were (these are other famous men I was asked to draw for Buffalo and Company), but I am sure that there are more people all over the world who heard at least something about Ernest Hemingway and his literature legacy. Hemingway definitely “qualifies” to be considered as the model of masculinity. Being extremely smart and intelligent (I believe that the Nobel Prize in Literature can’t be won by any average guy), brave (he had responded to a Red Cross recruitment effort and signed on to be an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I and agreed to become a war journalist during World War II in spite of having been seriously wounded at the time of World War I) and thirsty for adventures (he loved hunting, fishing, traveling), Ernest Hemingway experienced a life saturated with events which had formed the real man’s character. He lived through good and awful times and shared a little bit of his valuable experience in his books. Those belletristic gems show us what it takes to be a man. It’s not easy, that’s why we call such men heroes and pay our tribute to them.


Traditionally, I supply a video along with the portrait. Enjoy!

Portrait of Ernest Hemingway


Ernest Hemingway big portrait
Ernest Hemingway



My other famous men portraits:
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of John Muir
Portrait of General Robert E. Lee

Read more...

Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

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 portrait
Theodore Roosevelt




Teddy Roosevelt T-Shirt

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

Theodore Roosevelt t-shirt by Buffalo and Company, Teddy Roosevelt t-shirt
Teddy Roosevelt t-shirt

Roosevelt tshirt

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

Read more...

Portrait of John Muir

Monday, July 19, 2010

John Muir is another personality whose portrait I was to draw for the new series of famous men t-shirts by Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. (ex 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. Muir is evidently one of those wise men who ought to be respected everywhere in the world. He was a naturalist and environmentalist who advocated preservation of wilderness in the United States of America. John Muir’s efforts to protect American nature had led to establishing of Yosemite National Park in California which beauty now mesmerizes around three millions tourists yearly (I wish I could see those ancient forests, great mountains and amazing waterfalls with my own eyes). Muir is also known for his long distance hiking travels, and one of the most popular hiking trails in California was named in his honor (John Muir Trail). I am sure this man led an interesting life full of adventures and contemplation of the beauty of nature. He was kind and talented enough to share a bit of his life with us in his books which never cease to be popular. John Muir described his life and outlook, his hiking trails and his adventures in his fascinating literature legacy.

Luckily, it’s not difficult to find a photo of John Muir in the Internet, so I used one to draw the portrait of John Muir – a great man whose deeds are not to be forgotten by any American. And following my good tradition I have also made a video to show you the process of portrait drawing. I hope you will enjoy it.

Portrait of John Muir


portrait of John Muir
John Muir



My other famous men portraits:
Portrait of Ernest Hemingway
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt
Portrait of General Robert E. Lee
Portrait of Ernest Shackleton
Lewis and Clark Portraits

Read more...

Famous Men Portraits: Robert E. Lee

Friday, July 16, 2010

Today’s post is about my new artist commission from Buffalo and Company. This time I was hired to make portraits of famous men for a new series of t-shirts by Buffalo and Company. General Robert E. Lee is one of the men whose portraits I am supposed to draw. So, I’ll start with General Lee, and the others are coming soon in my next blog posts (please, check out corresponding links in the end of this port). Robert E. Lee was a US Civil War general who, despite being commanding the Confederate army (the South) and having surrendered and eventually lost the war, is respected all across the United States for his courage, intelligence and outstanding strategic mind which had made him one of the most honored American generals. Robert E. Lee had enough wisdom to make his contribution to settling up the conflict between North and South of the United States. General Robert E. Lee can be undoubtedly considered to be an icon for those who respect and honor the real man’s heart and soul.

Buffalo and Company has developed a philosophy of preserving and honoring a good old masculinity in men’s clothing and accessories they are manufacturing and selling. They do not forget those times when men were real men whose purpose of life was meeting challenges of nature while traveling and conquering new wild spaces on the Earth to expend civilization and to create better living for human beings; hunting and protecting their families and Motherland. Their clothing itself reflected their virility and readiness for adventures and brave deeds. The apparel they wore used to be comfortable, practical and had that look and feel associated with manhood. Today’s men’s fashion is somehow shifting away from the classic man’s appearance and lacks that peculiar manly spirit. One can often observe those men wearing clothing and haircuts which deprive them of the very look of a male, let alone a brave and ready-for-adventure look. This is not a good tendency as history teaches us that only courageous, smart, wise, purposeful and caring men led nations towards the progress regardless any obstacles, and difficult circumstances. And those guys, as we can see, were proud of being men and did their best to make their appearance correspond to that look which distinguished a strong male protector from a sweet tender female to be protected. That is why by creating a new series of t-shirts with a famous men portraits, guys from Buffalo and Company want once again remind the faces of those who are worth being followed and honored.


I want to demonstrate you not only the completed portrait of Robert E. Lee but also a video I’ve created to show you the process of drawing this American Civil War general's portrait using the cross-hatching technique. I hope you will enjoy watching the video and would be happy to read your comments about the portrait. I would also very much appreciate if you subscribe to my Youtube channel.


Portrait of General Robert E. Lee


Robert E Lee portrait (US Civil War general)
Robert E Lee


Robert E. Lee Signature T-Shirt


Robert E. Lee t-shirt
This is how a Robert E. Lee t-shirt by Buffalo and Company looks like

My other famous men portraits:
Other portrait of Robert E. Lee
General Robert E. Lee and his horse Traveller
General Stonewall Jackson Portrait
Portrait of Ernest Hemingway
Portrait of John Muir
Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt

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