I bought the photo that this painting is based on at a thrift store for 10-cents. I bought it because it reminded me of guys I grew up with during the 1970s.

I used a very old oil painting technique that was popular from the 1400s to late 1800s. First you paint a black-and-white value study called a grisaille. Then you paint think glazes of color on top. I painted about nine thin color glazes on top of my grisaille. I never used this technique before.