Tag: rap

Summary

Beastie Boys Speed Painting by contemporary artist Bart Carels captures the raw charisma of three hip hop legends through fast brushwork and bold color.

Title: ‘Three MCs and No DJ’
Artist: Bart Carels
Year: 2020

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 below. It shows the entire journey from blank canvas to finished artwork in just a few minutes:

This work is part of a larger series of hip hop portraits and pop culture speed paintings. I often experiment with minimal palettes and expressive lines to distill the essence of a subject. If you enjoyed this, check out my speed painting of The Weeknd as well.

Availability

If you’re interested in collecting this piece or exploring related work, see what’s available below:

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Summary

Ice-T Speed Painting by contemporary artist Bart Carels. A bold portrait of the iconic rapper, built with expressive brushwork and layered color.

Title: ‘H.U.S.T.L.E.R.’
Artist: Bart Carels
Year: 2020

Process

This Ice-T speed painting started with a Vermillion underpainting, similar to several of my earlier pieces. I sketched the outlines using Primary Cyan. My goal wasn’t realism — I wanted something that felt bold and unique. Color, not accuracy, was the focus.

I started with the eyes. Although we tend to think the whites of the eyes are actually white, they’re often not. In my reference photo, there was reflective blue and purple light in the eyes. To match that, I blended Cyan, Magenta, a touch of Yellow, and some White to get the right shade.

From there, I blocked in the darker elements — the cap’s shadow, moustache, beard, and shirt. I also began layering skin tones using the Vermillion background as a base. That red-orange peeking through creates warmth and depth. I added subtle blue reflections on the cheek, neck, and under the eye. The moment I placed the highlights in the eyes, the painting suddenly came to life.

After that, I focused on adding shadows, highlights, and skin color variation. For the chain, I used simple light and shadow strokes — enough to instantly suggest gold without over-detailing. Sometimes, minimalism works best.

The final touch? A mix of Cyan, Titanium White, and Primary Yellow to add cool-toned areas in the background. These contrast nicely with the warm Vermillion and balance the composition.

Like the rest of my music, rap and hip-hop pieces, this one was all about capturing attitude, not perfection. If you’re into fast, expressive portrait work, this one’s for you.

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

Want to own this Ice-T painting or see related rap art? Check availability below:

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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 background — 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.

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

Interested in owning this J Cole painting? Check availability below:

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Snoop Dogg Speed Painting – The Making Of

Snoop Dogg Speed Painting by contemporary artist Bart Carels. A quick, expressive portrait capturing the vibe of one of hip hop’s most recognizable figures — sunglasses, braids, beads and all.

Title: ‘Snoop D.O. Double G’
Artist: Bart Carels
Year: 2020

Painting 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.

Original Painting

• One-of-a-kind artwork
• Medium: Mixed Media (Ink & Acrylic on canvas)
• Size: 24×30 cm / 9×11 inches
• Color Palette: Cyan | Magenta | Yellow | Black | White

Availability

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