Summary
J Cole Speed Painting by contemporary artist Bart Carels. This energetic portrait captures the thoughtful presence and style of one of rap’s most consistent voices.
Title: ‘J. Cole’
Artist: Bart Carels
Year: 2020
Description
This j cole speed painting was created quickly but intentionally — loose lines, strong color contrasts, and expressive layering. It’s part of my series on iconic music figures.
Process
To begin, I outlined the composition using a big black marker — quick strokes to set the structure. Then I jumped straight into the facial hair and blocked in the base skin tones. For the hair, I mixed Magenta with a touch of Cyan and Yellow, darkened with Ivory Black to create richness.
When painting the face, I used a mix of all three primary colors. For the darker tones, I added more Cyan, which gave the piece cooler shadows. After that, I filled the background with a custom teal by mixing Primary Cyan and Primary Yellow. It echoed some of the blue-green tones in the reference, which I emphasized in the cheek and jawline to tie everything together.
Once the foundation was done, I added small highlights and details, but intentionally left some of the marker lines visible. They help maintain a raw, spontaneous vibe. And of course, one of my favorite parts — peeling off the masking tape. That clean white border always makes the whole piece feel finished.
Painting Specs
- One-of-a-kind artwork
- Medium: Mixed Media on Paper (black marker & acrylic paint)
- Size: 24x32cm / 9×12 inches
- Color Palette: Cyan | Magenta | Yellow | Black | White
Availability
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