Understood it is great to have friends you can rag on. I hope he enjoys ragging on you too;)

It is and no he doesn't as I would beat him...haha j/k

Oh, believe me, Dynarl, Ben gets his.

And Jacksons, you're making me blush. Thank you for your kind words. Hopefully you'll feel the same about your up-and-comer...

I have to agree with you on those Mets jerseys. Those mid-80s togs were absolutely amazing. And coming from a Yankee fan, this is not the easiest thing in the world to say, but I always thought he looked best in blue and orange.

Graig

Hey all,

Just got these back from the photographers, too:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oeBerg1935.jpg
Moe Berg, 1935

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...nepool1963.jpg
Ed Kranepool, 1963

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ollins1909.jpg
Eddie Collins, 1909

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...Mantle1956.jpg
Mickey Mantle, 1956

A motley crew/crue indeed. The Mantle is actually a redo, as the original was...ahem...lost. Not cool.

Anywho, I would love to hear any thoughts you want to throw my way, especially with the Collins. That one had somewhat of a different quality of light that I've not painted before, and I'm not terribly sure that I was successful. Boo.

I hope you like all four, but I'll settle for three. Actually, I'll settle for one.

Graig

Graig, you are a man of many talents, or at least one extreme talent!
I always look for new postings from you, because they are simply amazing.

So the first Mantle was "lost"? :eek: Is it by any chance now part of the Barry Halper collection?

Since you specifically asked about the Collins, I absolutley love it. The only thing that bothers me or seems eerie, is that when I look at it, it appears to me that Collins' left eye is looking directly into my eyes but his right eye seems to be loking over my left shoulder. It could just be me. Or were Collins' eyes actually that way? If so, then you certainly captured it.


And thanks for the Berg. It reminds me that I was reading "The Catcher Was A Spy" while on vacation a few year ago and hadn't finished it when vacation was over. I really need to pick that up again. Somehow that painting seems to capture the essence of what I know about him and his life.

Wow
 

Graig,
The Mantle is Spectacular, as is the Strawberry you posted last week. They look just like pictures.
The other three are excellent as well.
I'm not sure what you don't like about the Collins. I think it captures him quite nicely.

BTW, the picture is in the mail tomorrow.

Mark

Graig - they are all fantastic.

I'd love to know how you determine exact eye, hair color, etc. for these deadballers.

Is this through literary research, or is it maybe assumed by the shade of these attributes in b/w photographs?

Eddie Collins' eyes are haunting. How did you know he had such light colored eyes?

BTW - sorry to hear about the Mantle redo - the second one looks just as good as the first, though, if not better.

Thanks for all of your comments, guys - I really appreciate the honest feedback.

timzcardz, it's funny you should mention that...um...just kidding. But really, I'm a bit upset that I never got to do this kind of stuff when Barry was still around and active. It really would have been wonderful to meet him if I ever had the chance.

Also, thanks for the comments on the Collins painting. His eyes seem to be pretty consistent with the photograph, I think. But, it's definitely possible that I could have been a little off. I'm really still debating, so I'll have to give it another look or six.

Mark, you da man. Thank you. And from what Dean tells me, your painting should be going out quite soon.

jacksons, thanks for the kind words again, especially regarding the Mantle. I blame Dean. Let's leave it at that.

Regarding the eye colors, it's all done with research, mostly through books and magazines. Sometimes, though ti can be tough, I have to guess based on the approximate value of the person's iris compared to the retina. Even that can't be exact though.

The feeling with Collins that I was trying to go for was just what you mentioned - having a focal point in his eyes. The light I was trying to achieve was to be reflected from outside of the dugout for the most part. In other words, in the dark dugout, I wanted Collins' head to peer out and seem to glow. And in such a case, it seemed that his blue eyes would appear almost crystalline. You may notice that on a bright day with cloud cover, the pigment in a person's eyes will be really chromatic, sometimes even more so than with direct light from the sun. I guess that was really the effect I was trying for.

Graig

Wow!
 

Hi, never posted but always admired. Greg, you are the best and most talented sports artist I have ever seen. That Berg is amazing, like he is actually sitting there, and the Mantle is just as incredible. I really think you captured the intensity of a young baseball hero in the making. The other 2 are nice but the Berg and Mantle really seem to come to life in my opinion. I don't come to this side often but when I do I always search out the posts of your artwork. You are truly a gifted artist. When I win the lottery, you'll be the first to know it! :D

Graig,

I think that the Collins is fabulous. That along with the Baker are my faves of all of your incredible work, an A's bias not doubt showing through. Because after all how could you pick really? :)

Keep up the good work.

Jeff