Glen Keelan, originally from Dublin, Ireland, is now based in Berlin. He creates realistic drawings of the human form on paper and wood. He tells us a little bit about his process of creating ‘Weight’.

Since the beginning of my artistic adventure, i have been extremely excited by the human form.

The idea for my latest project “Weight” comes from my own personal experiences and from my curiosity with how we co-exist with one another.

I began Weight by first setting up for a photo shoot. I already had the idea in my mind so the trick was to try to represent the same ideas through photography first and then create the artwork. Normally i use either myself or my girlfriend for the modelling.

To start it all off, I set the camera to a 10 second timer and just go for it, randomly trying different poses so that I can have more references to choose from later.

When the photo shoot is finished, I upload the pictures onto my computer and begin editing them to the desired shape, size, colour, etc… When I have found the desired picture, I begin to draw. Weight is drawn on 5mm Plywood.

This is the first time that I have drawn on Plywood so it is very exciting. The surface of plywood is very soft and smooth so the pencils take very well to it.

Using my computer helps me to achieve the extreme lights and dark’s that are so dominant in my work. I use the photograph only as a reference for the line drawing and the overall structure. As the piece progresses, I allow myself the freedom to change, distort and go crazy on it so that it is not a complete replicate of the photo.

I admire Photo realism and the skill involved but for me i feel i could just as easily be looking at a photoshop picture. Realism for me has to be precise but still keep the look and feel of an artwork. I like to see that it has been painted or drawn by somebody, not something.

Here is a video of the complete making of “Weight” part 1 here.

Enjoy my artwork and remember to keep drawing as much as possible!

Little bit more about ‘Weight’

Weight is a two piece project that is drawn and painted on 5mm Plywood with Arcylic and Coloured Pencils.

Weight as a term, refers to the amount, quantity, mass or heaviness of any given object that puts pressure on another object. When translating this metaphorically into the relationship between a man and a woman, it is as though each of them are sitting on their own base plate, trying to balance the weight of each other.

The term “weight” does not describe anything about the delicate substances that our weight is made up of, instead, it gives us the possibility to balance each other’s experiences, outlook on life, ability to learn, acceptance or non-acceptance and our strengths and weaknesses.

I would encourage the viewer to recall their own way of how we balance one another and also their reasons for keeping or not keeping the balance.

You can find more about Glenn and his work on his website & blog.
He’s also on Facebook and Twitter.