Pablo Picasso. The most influential artist of the 20th century. I painted this piece as the first in a series of portraits of great painters. The technique for this piece involves laying down texture composed of modeling paste and glue, followed by an acrylic underpainting that I distress with a variety of modeling tools and towels. After that, I use a dark oil wash over the entire painting and then scrape away part of that layer to reveal highlights and emphasize shadows. The final step involves painting finishing details, followed by varnishing. The result is reminiscent of the look of a wood block carving or scratchboard.