Here is a drawing I was working on last night. It's almost finished now, except for a few small corrections that I will make tonight. (I didn't notice them until I'd already scanned it.
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The original is 9x12" pencil on mixed media paper. I know it's an unusual expression for him and not really a moment most fans like to remember...but I was watching videos from the 2010 games in Vancouver when this idea came to me. I was seeing all over again Zhenya skate SO well and still not win the gold medal - after all his hard work and sacrifices. A silver medal is still a noble achievement, but a king deserves the crown! It was heart-breaking and I can only imagine how very disappointed he must have felt in that moment.
Of course, two years have already gone by since then. Zhenya has moved forward and is looking to Sochi, I know, but all this still troubled me for some reason. I needed to find some way to express the "negative" feelings I still had from Vancouver - to get them out and leave that behind (as he has). So this portrait is just my own "therapy" - an attempt to heal an old scar. The scan is not very good and I know my work is far from perfect but I wanted to share this with others who love Evgeni as much as I do. (Unfortunately, most of my "real life" friends are not fans of skating and don't know Plushenko from Mickey Mouse.) I hope you will like it.
I am working on two others (one in pastels and the other in colored pencils) which I will try to post soon - if anyone is interested to see those.
"The artist is nothing without the gift...but the gift is nothing without work."