Scholastics II

Flower power

9 in x 6.5 in

Colored pencil

For this assignment, we were asked to continue our inquiry question or develop another piece for the Scholastics Art and Writing competition. I wanted to make another piece for the New York Life Special Award, and I already had made a portrait of my friend Steel about a month ago, as he passed away in August. I made this portrait from an image of Steel (one of my favorites) where he is making a serious expression and has pink flowers stuck in his baseball hat. I love this photo because it encapsulates Steel's personality, but now that he has passed away, it comforts me and shows him as a very angelic person.

To create this portrait, I used colored pencil. I used a variety of techniques, such as blending with a cotton swab and burnishing. I layered the colors a lot to create the accurate skin tone, shadows, and highlights. By doing this, I also create form/shape, as well as value.

Overall, I am very satisfied with this piece. I wanted to do this photo justice, since it is an amazing photo, and I feel as though I did that. If I could go back and change anything, I would add more depth to the background and possibly add more flowers to push the idea of grief more.