If you’ve been following me for a while, you might have noticed that I tend to draw the same subjects again and again. There is a reason for that. Some people/characters inspire me so much that I wanna draw them … again and again! (Also, if you want to become good at something, it should really inspire you, you should LOVE it, otherwise it becomes a chore. But that’s another story. And incidentally Steve’s moto!) And this is particularly true about Steve Jobs.

I am in awe with this man, so much that I have drawn him countless times over the years. Three times the exact same pose. Jeez! Can’t decide if I am a perfectionist or a lunatic, (let’s stick to the first option) but you can’t deny that this drawing-the-same-over-and-over-again, makes a good example of how one’s style and technique can evolve over the years. (Hopefully it will also inspire you to keep going and never give up!)

2012

Until 2012, I was drawing cartoons and semi-realistic stuff. Did you know that Steve was the first ever photorealistic portrait I managed to finish??

Materias: Back then my pencil collection wasn’t … as huge as it is now. And even though I don’t exactly remember what materials I used, I am pretty sure he was drawn with a plain hb pencil on plain paper.

2018

Wow six years later. A lot happened in these years. In 2018 my technique was at it’s peek, and I drew Steve Jobs again, again in graphite, as realistically as possible. But you can tell the difference. 🙂

Materias: By 2018 I had built my huge pencil collection (not as huge as it is now, nowadays I am trying to be a minimalist to all aspects of my life 🙂 ) so this Steve was drawn with a selection of 2b-8b graphite pencils, on Winsor&Newton smooth surface cartridge pad, 230gsm.

2021

2021 already. Again a photorealistic Steve, this time with a twist. Nowadays I work (almost) exclusively in digital media, so this one was drawn digitally on iPad Pro, in procreate app. After many years doing photorealism, I am quite bored. That being said I love photorealism, and admire those who do it consistently, but at this moment I feel I cannot express myself through photorealism anymore. So, this is a more abstract Steve Jobs, dissolving into countless Apple logos.

I kinda feel like Picasso (Well, comparing myself to Picasso is a blasphemy, but I hope you get my point!) Firstly you must learn all the technical skills, so as to “ignore” them later, and create a style of your own. I feel I am on the right path…