Thirty-four years ago, I headed into the mountains of Northern California on a tip that there was a captivating character that might be perfect for a series of portraits I was preparing for a new gallery show.

I met up with Gabby — that is what everyone called him because he resembled actor Gabby Hayes — alongside the mountain road that leads into Yosemite National Park and ran past the camper trailer he called home.

He had just come back from a doctor’s visit that his daughter had lovingly dragged him to, and he was in less than a good mood.

He cussed and swore about how the day had gone for him. Still, he continued sharing bits and pieces of his life story with me. I offered to come back later. But “No, no, no,” he said, we were going to do this now. Yet in between the outbursts, I came to realize that he was actually enjoying the attention.

And in the end it all paid off.

His irritable mood told a story in the photos. And the drawing that resulted ended up being one of my signature works through the years.

Now you can get a little glimpse into some of the technique used for this drawing.

“Drawing Study No. 8: White Beard” examines the portion of this drawing that was voted as the top choice in the survey.

Have fun drawing!

Darrel :)

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