Jason Seiler's step by step work process in creating this year's Time Person of the Year cover art
A note from the artist about his process:
"I would say the painting from start to finish took at least 40 hours.
The first step is establishing the composition and layout which I worked together on with art director, D.W. Pine. Once that was decided, the next step is working on a tight and accurate drawing, which captures both likeness and character.
My process with the painting phase was all about pulling the light out from the darkness. My approach was very similar to how I would paint traditionally with oils, even though I painted this digitally.
My technique is based off of the Dutch Flemish Oil approach where the artist would do a raw umber under painting, keeping the shadows nice and thin, and soft, and the laying in thick layers of white wherever light is seen. This is how I began this painting.
Once happy with the under painting, I begin to block in the color I see. My approach isn’t to color the image in or fill it in. I look for the correct values and focus on temperature, and see everything as shapes of color, capturing all of this with the correct brush stroke laid down next to another brush stroke.
I will try my best to explain what I am thinking while painting....When you see the painting from a distance it looks realistic, but when you see it up close, you can see that it is an accumulation of abstract brushstrokes, that when placed in the correct place, create the illusion of a face."
To learn more about this project visit Jason's podcast Face the Truth where he is interviewed about the Time Person of the Year cover
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