Tag: hiphop

Process

This Beastie Boys speed painting pays tribute to Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock — an explosive trio that helped define the sound and attitude of hip hop in the ’80s and ’90s. The portrait was created using a limited color palette: Magenta, Primary Yellow, Cyan, Titanium White, and Oxide Black. This deliberate constraint brought out the contrasts and textures that make the piece so punchy.

The background began with a bold magenta base, setting a vivid tone right from the start. I ditched the original reference background and focused solely on the three MCs to emphasize their presence. The outlines were drawn freehand using a multiliner, then layered with confident brushstrokes — jackets, shadows, facial highlights — all captured in quick, energetic moves to reflect the group’s own rhythm and spontaneity.

Want to see how it all came together? Watch the full progress video of this Beastie Boys portrait above.

Process

Begin with loose charcoal or marker outlines to capture Ice-T’s facial structure, then block in large color shapes using Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, and White. Focus on expressive strokes for the beard, hat, and facial highlights. Layer darker shapes next, adjusting contrasts to evoke mood. Use a limited palette so the layering feels bold and cohesive. Let background areas show through in places for texture. Finish with accent highlights on eyes, accessories, and textural details—keeping brushwork loose to reflect the raw energy of the subject.

Process

Today I painted Ms. Lauryn Hill — in my opinion, one of the most incredible singer-songwriters and rappers around. Her voice has such a unique sound, so I knew this would be a fun one. For this Lauryn Hill speed painting, I kept the brushwork loose and focused on capturing expression over perfection.

To start, I used a black marker for the outlines, just like in my earlier J. Cole piece. However, I switched to a fineliner for finer features like the eyes and eyebrows to give them a bit more definition. Her head wrap featured beautiful turquoise tones, while the skin had warm, orangey-brown shades. That’s why I chose a Vermillion outline — it brought out the contrast nicely.

Next, I blocked in the denim jacket with loose strokes, intentionally keeping it rough. Meanwhile, I added subtle blues as highlights to the cheek and jawline, which gave the face some depth. Rather than replicating the head wrap’s pattern, I simply suggested the shapes to keep things fluid and intuitive.

After that, I moved on to the background. I layered a few shades of blue with hints of orange to balance the palette. As a final step, I added details across the face and fabric, blending where needed but keeping that painterly texture. That’s about it — fast, expressive, and full of color.

This Lauryn Hill speed painting is part of my music-inspired portrait series. If you’re into quick, bold studies of iconic musicians, there’s more where this came from.

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.

Process

I don’t do portraits often enough, even though I actually enjoy them. They’re tricky — easily the hardest subject to get right. It takes just one feature being slightly off to throw the whole thing. But they also force you to slow down and focus. That’s part of what drew me to this Snoop Dogg speed painting.

I’ve listened to Snoop since way back, and this close-up — braids, beads, and tinted glasses — had the bold shapes and contrast I like. I started with a bright blue background, slightly more saturated than the reference photo. I felt it would contrast nicely with the yellow beads in his hair.

Before hitting the acrylics, I made a detailed line drawing using a fineliner to get the proportions right. That part isn’t in the video — it takes time and I wanted the speed painting part to focus on color and layering.

Once the base sketch was done, I blocked in the skin tones, hair, and loose t-shirt outline. I used just a few tones for the face — enough to suggest form and light without overcomplicating it. The glasses were left mostly undetailed, with rough brushwork and minimal highlights.

To finish, I added a few shadows, some high-level highlights in the hair, beads, and necklace. From a distance, it pulls together nicely. For a quick portrait, I think it works.