As a big fan of Batman (a Batfan?), it is imperative that I create a piece on The Joker. First image that pops to mind is the one immortalized by Heath Ledger. This “agent of chaos” persona is probably the most popular variant of this character. In fact, that is he only version of joker non-nerds seem to know. The 2019 movie Joker did a lot to remedy that by portraying the psychopath version.

In contrast, the mobster persona barely gets any attention these days. I had a lot of hops from Suicide Squad, but we all know how that turned out. So, I decided to pour all my frustration into this portrait.

here’s the reference picture. This picture has a certain surreal, comic book-ish look to it which lends itself very well to the color pencils. Shadows and highlights have sharp transitions which express the frustration. The pulled lip (and the teeth, ugh!) somehow manage to incite the mixed feelings of hatred and fear. If this portrait made your skin crawl, I’d consider my work done here.