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# Loose Presidential Portraits — From Fear to Freedom
- URL: https://craftedbyrobert.com/loose-presidential-portraits/
- Published: 2026-10-16T09:57:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-16T09:57:39.000Z
- Description: Discover Robert Joyner's loose presidential portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical figures, painted with expressive acrylics and mixed media.
- Author: Robert Joyner
- Tags: Portfolio

I used to avoid painting portraits like the plague, bro.

Landscapes? No problem. Still lifes? Bring 'em on. But faces? Forget it. Too many things could go wrong.

Then I started looking at old presidential portraits.

George Washington with his military uniform, Thomas Jefferson dressed like he was heading to a fancy dinner party, and Abraham Lincoln with that unmistakable beard and stovepipe hat.

These guys had some serious style!

![Contemporary Lincoln painting in expressive, full of texture and energy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/expressive-abraham-lincoln-portrait.webp)

![Expressive portrait of John Adams painted in an abstract, contemporary style](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/john-adams-loose-expressive-artwork.webp)

## Learning to Draw Before Painting Loose

I started experimenting with presidential portraits, but something wasn't clicking.

Turns out, I didn't understand the structure of the human head nearly as well as I thought.

So I put the paintbrush down and spent months studying drawing, proportions, and facial structure.

Not exactly glamorous, bro. But necessary.

Once I understood how the head was constructed, I could start taking liberties with it.

That's when things got interesting.

![Expressive Abe Lincoln portrait by Robert Joyner](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/Loose-portrait-Abe-Lincoln.webp)

![Modern Theodore Roosevelt painting combining historical detail with bold brushwork](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/theodore-roosevelt-bold-expressive-painting.webp)

## Washington, Lincoln & a Little Mi-caso

I began experimenting with bold colors, exaggerated shapes, loose brushwork, and mixed media.

Some portraits stayed fairly recognizable. Others wandered into strange territory.

Lincoln might get a crooked nose, Washington might lose an eye in a wild brushstroke, and Jefferson might end up looking like he had a rough night at the tavern.

But that's the fun of it.

I'm not trying to recreate a museum portrait. I'm exploring how far I can push the painting while keeping enough structure to make it work.

**Learn structure. Paint loose. Explore everything.**

![Original expressive portrait of Abraham Lincoln with bold brushwork and bold color contrasts](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/abraham-lincoln-expressive-modern-portrait.webp)

![Modern Jefferson painting combining historical detail with expressive qualities](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/thomas-jefferson-loose-expressive-artwork.webp)

## Shop Original Presidential Portraits

These original paintings are created with acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media on canvas and paper.

[**Shop Available Original Art**](https://craftedbyrobert.com/shop/)

Have a favorite historical figure you'd love to see painted? [**Ask About a Commission**](https://craftedbyrobert.com/commissions/)

Forget Picasso, bro. This is Mi-caso! 😂