The Gaffer - Jose Mourinho
A cover portrait of José Mourinho in his Roma years for The Gaffer magazine — older, greyer, and drawn with all the heavy-shadowed theatre that face invites.
About the Project
José Mourinho, drawn for The Gaffer in his Roma years — older, greyer, and somehow more theatrical for it. With that face and that coat, the drama was already there; I just leaned all the way into it: heavy shadow, a stare that has already decided you are guilty, and the kind of stillness that never needs to raise its voice.
The Gaffer is a properly good independent football magazine, and exactly the sort of thing worth your money. Go and give them some.
Open any figure to inspect surface, print detail, and framing more closely without losing the overall sequence. Motion plates play inline at full page size.
The full painting, uncropped — everything the masthead and the cover furniture usually swallow.
Close passes over the drawing — the stubble, the collar, that stare. This is where the hours went.
From drawing to cover: the piece in its raw state, and the painting of it mercifully compressed.
Out in the world — printed, bound, and doing its job on an actual shelf.
Sequence note
Every figure here opens full-screen — click any plate to expand it, then arrow or swipe through the sequence without losing your place. The work is drawn at resolutions far beyond the page, so getting closer is actively encouraged.
