— Derek 1950 – 2020 —
In past years Derek Acorah's work has often been the subject of some controversy. But, in his presence, few can deny he was a true gentleman with a warm heart and a big soul. So, when I learned of his death in 2020, it came as quite a shock. I am just glad I had the pleasure of meeting him back in 2007. He always had time for his fans. I'm also honoured to say he saw this piece a few years before and gave it his full approval.
Left: A wireframe example of how the work looks pieced together. All parts of the face, nose, forehead, eye etc. were constructed in seperate layers.
One of my personal fascinations with portraiture is realism. And, of all the projects undertaken, this has been one of the most time consuming. Except for Derek's hair, (done with live tracing), the rest of the portrait is done using Illustrator's gradient mesh tool. My version of illustrator is getting on a bit now, so I'm not certain if this tool still exists, or even works in the same way in later versions.
I can also see why some folks might shy away from gradient meshing. But, if used right, it can produce some interesting results. It is also a technique I tend to favour over the blend tool.
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