I LOVE portraits and always use any excuse I can to create a new one.  I created these two new portraits as gifts recently.  The first, shown above, was done in colored pencil on toned paper (8"x10") as a gift to a friend.  I had photographed her daughter and was inspired by her love of spiders and the texture of her dress being so web-like.  Here is the original photo beside my drawing:

I added two spiders crawling on her and a background web.

For the second portrait, I wanted to give friends a little something special on their wedding day.  Luckily, they had shared some great engagement photos a friend of theirs took, so I had some great reference material.  I decided to do their portrait in watercolor and turn the black and white photo into a color portrait, as the bride-to-be has such fantastic red hair.

Below is the original photo as well as a shot of her showing her beautiful red hair.

You can see why I had to do it in color!

Something handmade always makes the best gift.  My three-year-old daughter made a painting of her own to give the happy couple as well.  Gifts from the heart!

I just completed a very personal painting/drawing that I started during the Draw Til You Drop event .  It is a portrait of my Dad on his deathbed, surrounded by flowers, with a small inset portrait of him healthy  on the left and on the right the bottles of many medications that he was taking at the end of his life.

At the Draw Til You Drop event, I started this portrait in watercolor.  People were walking around and viewing what the artists were working on.  I could tell some people seemed to think this was a disturbing choice of subject.

What some don't realize is this is pure LOVE.  My Dad died from Cancer in 2006.  I was fortunate enough to be able to spend over a month with him, along with my Mom and brother, caring for him at the end of his life.  Although these memories are difficult, they are still treasured. 

We were able to keep Dad at home and have him under the care of family who loved him.  Most are not fortunate enough to do this, and I am forever grateful.  Administering the many medications, getting him to eat, playing him music, and so on while watching my Dad slowly waste away.

When Dad took his last breath, it was while my brother and I each held one of his hands, and his sisters and my Mom and eldest brother slept in the next rooms.  He was surrounded by love until the very end.  I brushed his hair, cleaned him, and spread the gifts of flowers from friends around him.  This is the image that I hold in my mind.  Pure love.  Some may not understand this, and that is okay.

Draw Til You Drop asked that we bring one piece to hang for an art exhibit.  I used this as an excuse to finish the portrait of Dad that I had been putting off.  I added all the details in colored pencil and framed it in an ornate frame, one that I thought carried the weight of the subject.

I grappled with whether or not to hang this piece, as I thought many would not understand.  But for those that do understand, I chose to go ahead. 

If you would like to see it in person, the opening reception is at the Arts Council of Mendocino County, during the First Friday Art Walk, Friday June 6th from 5-8 pm, at 309 East Perkins Street in Ukiah.

Saturday I participated in a wonderful event, Draw Til You Drop.  It was a marathon for artists, in which we had sponsors pledge $ for every hour that we created art.  All the proceeds went to art programs in Mendocino County.  Collectively, we raised over $9000!  Go artists!  The real troopers lasted for 26 hours, but I had to clock out at 17 hours.  It was hard to leave!  What a wonderful group of people!  We were fed and entertained by some amazing volunteers who played music, modeled, sang, you name it.  BIG thanks go to our event creator/coordinator and mosaic artist Elizabeth Raybee, who made all the magic happen.  Thank you, Elizabeth, and a BIG THANK YOU to all our sponsors for supporting the ARTS!!

All the artists at the 12 hour mark.

Here are a few of the pieces I worked on in my 17 hours:

Work in progress drawing of my Aunt Kate.

Rough watercolor painting of Poppies.

Rough watercolor painting of Calla.

I started work on this portrait of my Dad on his deathbed, in watercolor.  That got me some grimaces.  So, I figured I'd work on some other dark pieces.  Some of the looks I got gave me a laugh! 

Skull and wilted roses, in watercolor and colored pencil.

I finished working on an earlier project - a zombie portrait.  Years ago, I did makeup for a friend's student film.  I did the makeup, took the photo, and turned it into a drawing.  That just cemented me as the weirdo of the group, I think.  Ha!  And this is why I don't think I can be part of an art group. : )

I am looking forward to being a part of this event next year!  I wish I could do it every Saturday!

My sister-in-law was celebrating a milestone birthday, so I thought I would create a portrait of her as a gift.  This is a perfect example of what can be done with very little.  I chose a couple of photos that were used as her profile pictures on her Facebook and combined my favorite elements of both.  This enabled me to surprise her too!

I liked the warm colors of one of the photos, so I decided to create washes of color for her hair and face with watercolor.

Then I went over certain areas with colored pencils to add some strokes, darkness, and interest.

And voila!
I really like the effect of the watercolor and colored pencil together.

After a full week of editing photos, I wanted to make some art and experiment!  My wonderful model Patty, who has become a friend, had a birthday coming up.  So, I decided to do a portrait of her as a gift.  I really liked a particular shot of her from our Day of the Dead shoot, but wanted to try and draw her without the makeup adorning her face. 

Here is the original photo:

I started with pencil on illustration board.

It was definitely a challenge to omit the makeup and still get the shadows right.  Then came the experimentation.  I added a little color using watercolors.

It was definitely a worthwhile experiment, but the best part was seeing her face when she received it!