Adam Port, New Artist to the Stars,
Chosen To Represent Urban Icons
 

September, 2002. Ready2Shine Management and Immortal Brands are proud to introduce Adam Port, an innovative artist chosen among thousands to create an exclusive painting for Hip Hop Immortals Volume One. Adam's work will be unveiled at the Hip Hop Immortals launch event in early October.

Joining the ranks of industry leaders like David LaChapelle, Jonathon Mannion and Matthew Dean, Adam is carving out his own soon to be followed path with his distinctive artistic talent and vision. Immortal Brands searched through thousands of artists' portfolios until finally deciding that Adam's techniques and unique pioneering style matched that found in Hip Hop Immortals Volume One.

By using photo references for each illustration to capture authenticity in all paintings, Adam develops a realist style of his own. Two years ago Adam signed a licensing agreement with NBA Entertainment and from there he has gained visibility within the music, television and film industries. Today, Adam works with sports figures, music artists, and entertainment stars creating original illustrations for promotional materials and handling personal commissions.

Joining Immortal Brands in this venture will propel Adam to the center of the music industry. Here he will join the ranks of the everlasting, timeless and eternal musician captured in Hip Hop Immortals and set the standard in urban art.

To view the final illustration that Adam Port created for Hip Hop Immortals Volume One, please click here.



The Step-By-Step Process
Written by the artist himself, Adam Port




step 1:
The motivation behind this project was to capture the essence of the bookís photographs in one painting. So when I sat down with the creators of Hip Hop Immortals Vol. 1, we each went through the book, and chose photographs that we felt belonged in the painting. After comparing the photos that we eached picked out, I quickly realized that this would not be an easy task. Because my artwork is created with the aid of photo reference, people that we felt should be on the painting, werenít the best photos to reproduce as art.





step 2:
After narrowing the list of immortals down to 20 people, I was ready to start on the sketching stages. Normally when I start on the sketching stage I use a pencil and paper. But because of the complexity of the project I decided to work on the concept on the computer. I chose this method becuase it is an easy and more accurate way to move each separate object around in photoshop, getting a better feel for how the painting would look.





step 3:
Once the concept was approved, I was able to start working on the underdrawing of the painting. First I drew the Hip Hop Immortals logo in the center of the 57îX 38î illustration board. I then proceeded by drawing each figure, one by one, working from the center toward the outside. This process took approximately 60 hours to complete.





step 4:
Now that the underdrawing is completed, I had to mask of the Hip Hop Immortals text. I did this because I wanted to avoid getting any paint on that area. I used masking tape, and an exact-o knife to cut out each letter. This method helps maintain a crisp hard edge when sprayed over.





step 5:
Now it was time to start on the airbrushing stage. The airbrush that I use is an Iwata CM- C. I use this because of its ablilty to spray really fine detail. Because the painting was black and white, I started with the lightest grey tone, working my way to black. I used 3 different shades of gray, and then black. The most efficient way for me to do this was to paint everyone in the painting one color, then move to the next color. Using the photos as reference, I look at the information in each photograph and try to translate that on the illustration board. I repeated this step until it was time to spray the rest of the negative space black. Also during this process I purposely paint each figure slightly darker, so when I apply the colored pencil, I can pull out the highlights, brightening up the overall look of the painting.





step 6:
This stage was the most difficult stage because I had to mask off each of the 20 people, and then spray the rest black. I achieved this by cutting out a mask using tracing paper. I chose tracing paper, instead of making tape, because I wanted to have a soft edge. Basically this means that when I sprayed over the paper, some of the paint purposely got under the mask. I applied each mask by applying spray adhesive on the back of the tracing paper, and placing it on top of each figure. Once this part was done, I proceeded to spray black over the entire painting.





step 7:
Once I removed each of the 20 masks from the painting,, it was time to finish painting the text, and then start using colored pencils. I removed the masking tape from the letters. Because there was a white border around each letter, I had to remask and cut out the part of the text that I wanted to paint. This would allow me to spray the inner part of the letters.





step 8:
The colored pencil stage of my painting process is the last, and most gratifying part. I enjoy this part the most becuase it brings each person to life. Using the colored pencils, in this case just grey and white, I start to pull out the highlights in each face. For example, the white in the persons eyes, or the light that hits a persons forehead, cheek, lip, etc. This stage also tightens up the details, giving certain areas a hard line, which is opposite from the fuzzy line achieved with an airbrush.





step 9:
All that is left is to apply a spray finish to the painting, protecting it from smudging or dirt. The painting is now ready to be photographed and framed. This entire process, from concept to finish painting was approximately 275 hours.