HealthLeaders: Portraits of the Editors

Ed Pruitt - Editor of Healthleaders

Jim Molpus - Interim Editor of Healthleaders

 Ed Pruitt and Jim Molpus are the Editor and Interim Editor at Healthleaders magazine. I was commissioned to illustrate their portraits for the Editor's Letter page by award winning Art Director Doug Ponte.

You can see the size of the drawing and the kind of pen nib I use to draw with. The bigger thick to thin strokes are drawn with the pen nib in the standard position. The really thin lines are drawn with the pen nib held upside down, using the thin, forward edge of the nib's foot.

Each person is drawn quite a few times until the portrait is figured out. I spread the inked portraits out on my desk to decide which best suits the assignment.

The Editor's portraits were destined to print small, so I illustrated the portraits about twice the print size, which was still pretty small. I have to be "hold-my-breath" careful when drawing small portraits, where the thickness of the line makes a big difference.

Sometimes, I think my nose is going to touch the paper, I get so close to the work. This is what the drawings looks like from that perspective!

Ed Pruitt: Detail, Black Cat India ink and General's non-repro blue pencil: Graham Smith.

 G.