Loose Presidential Portraits — From Fear to Freedom
Discover Robert Joyner's loose presidential portraits of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other historical figures, painted with expressive acrylics and mixed media.
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!
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.
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.
Shop Original Presidential Portraits
These original paintings are created with acrylics, watercolor, and mixed media on canvas and paper.
Have a favorite historical figure you'd love to see painted? Ask About a Commission
Forget Picasso, bro. This is Mi-caso! 😂
