The Punisher

I wanted to do a Punisher piece, but I wanted it to feel raw and messy and broken. I thought about painting, but I felt like my painting style is too refined. I needed to get my hands dirty with one, so I turned to pastels. Knowing I wanted texture to the piece, I did some research and discovered a product that i could apply to a panel to make it gritty enough for the pastels to take. Total game changer!
I took a bunch of my old shooting targets and collaged them together on a panel (Punisher art needs to be riddled with bullet holes and have traces of gunpowder in it!), gessoed over them and plastered areas for texture. I masked off the skull and set the background in spray paint and then worked up the skull in acrylics. And then it was all pastel drawing. I loved working on the texture and the juxtaposition between a delicate medium on a harsh surface. I'm super stoked about this piece and so happy with how it turned out!

Prints are available on my Etsy: etsy.me/1RVchnf
You can check out more of my pop culture art at my website: www.thirtyartsix.com/