Steven R. Mullins

RCAD Alumni 2002 // Illustration

Artist Statement: "I consider my work as an endless process of growing, of defining my vision and refining my craft. I am creating works of art that will say something to everyone and speak a timeless quality. Music plays such an important and influential role in our lives."

Currently I am focusing my Portrait work on iconic figures in music and how they have influenced society and history as a whole. My approach to this is by creating larger than life renderings that are reminiscent of the Greek and Roman art and sculpture which utilizes the “Golden Section” as a means to create symmetry, flow and impact with detailed precision. The number “3” is a recurring theme that I use within my work and you can see this by the way I break borders and boundaries. I have developed this through my years of studies as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator.

I begin my portraits with a thumbnail sketch then refine the image until I am confident that my layout meets my standards to reproduce. Once complete, I then project the final image onto the large size media. I slowly begin building up the values through a process I call “Pencil Painting” where I go over the entire image in subsequent layers, usually 4 to 6, with continuous strokes in the same direction. This slowly brings the image out one layer at a time until the final piece is realized. My portraits are rendered using Ebony Jet Black Graphite pencils on 300lb acid free 100% cotton watercolor paper then framed and matted with acid free archival mat and foam board. I received my BFA in Illustration with a minor in Fine Art from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2002. I have received numerous awards including the “Society of Illustrators Best of Show” for the “George Harrison” portrait, Step by Step Illustration Annual Award and CMYK Illustration Awards.