GMC in color

I did the black and white counterpart to this in August (I think it was the last post for that month).
I don't know how I feel about it. Gonzo seemed to like it, but I'm still undecided. Gonzo actually took the original photograph at the "Them" car show in 2008. He recently met the guy the truck belongs to, who happened to see the black and white drawing and asked him to ask me if I would do it in color for him.
I have issues with color portraits. I'm not the greatest painter on the planet, so I don't do "portraits" using Acrylic, or Oils, or Tempra or any other kinds of paints. I opt for what's familiar to me- which is a pencil. Colored pencils are very much like regular pencils...but there are a few differences for me:
1. They bring out the grain in the paper more so than regular pencils- which I'm not a fan of- some people are- Thank goodness for you all. I just don't seem to be happy with anything I've done in color (unless it was on that awesome brown paper from last year- that I drew the sign, tractor, and farm scene on for my dad...that actually looked kind of cool.)
2. I'm slightly allergic to colored pencils. Within minutes of opening the box my throat starts to itch. If I don't touch them, that's as far as it goes. But the minute I pick up a colored pencil I start to itch, arms, legs, face, neck. I've even broken out into hives before, from using them. I don't know why, or what it is about them that makes me itch, but yeah...it happens.
3. I tried to do a portrait for someone in 2004, it was a color portrait, using colored pencils. They were not happy with the colors that I used- saying that the skin tones didn't match, the clothing color didn't match, etc, etc. I then asked her to go thru my colored pencils and find the correct matching color to use, and I would start over. She couldn't find any, and told me that I should look into making my own colored pencils if I was going to attempt to draw colored portraits. Crayola and Prismacolor I am not. But thanks for trying lady.
So I do the best I can, with what I have.

I've been asked several times in the last few years if I do color portraits...or I've just flat out been told that they are requesting a colored portrait, without even checking to see if I can do that. Just because one artist draws well in black and white, doesn't mean they can do the same thing in color. Nor will the finished product look like what you have pictured in your head.
I'm still weighing the options of doing color portraits. They are time consuming, and a literal pain for me (allergies to the art medium isn't a good thing). Also, what do I charge people for color drawings? (that's a rhetorical question) Then there are days (especially this year), when I just think of deleting this blog, deleting the website, and not offering to do portraits of any kind, and just quietly and secretly complete drawings here and there for myself and no one else. But that won't happen, at least not today. I like drawing. I like how color looks. I like the looks on people faces, or the emails I get when someone receives a drawing that I've done. That makes me happy.

Anyway, I'm rambling...and it's Friday. I've got things to do (art wise), so I'll leave you with this, about the picture above.
I had fun drawing it, itching all the while. It was challenging, and I managed to complete it in about 3 hours...which makes me think I may be getting a little better with the colors (it usually takes me days to complete a color drawing). I'll keep practicing, and when I can afford it, I might try some other colored pencils to see if the itching stops.

Have a great weekend everyone!