the story

For my final piece in the class ARTSTUDI 139: Portraiture and Facial Anatomy for Artists, I decided to focus on a double portrait of my grandparents as a gift for my mother. I was initially drawn towards this subject matter while leafing through old photo albums in my grandmother's kitchen, and happened to come across a photograph of my grandparents at my mother's graduation. Bathed in afternoon sunlight, my grandparents looked perhaps the happiest and most at peace I've ever seen them, and I knew that this was the perfect moment to capture.

With this piece, I wanted to focus on the interplay of extreme light and shadows and highly varied textures (skin, hair, clothes) through a realistic lens. Specifically, I added large amounts of texture and contrast within their faces and accentuated the effect of the light on their hair, creating a halo-like effect as a nod to the importance they have had in our family's lives and the respect and admiration that I have for them both. More than anything, I hope to, through this piece, honor my grandparents and portray their warmth and dignity.

This piece is still unfinished, as I plan to clean up a few areas as well as render a bit more of the clothing, however I want to preserve the raw, intimate quality of the drawing going forward.