Title: The Bass Player
Size: 11 by 14 inches
So this finally made the blog. It's a portrait of my darling sister Noelle looking amazing as she jams on her upright. This piece had a lot of fun experimental techniques going on. First (and most noticeably) I used silver sharpie for the suit's pinstripes. That made me panicky inside, as sharpies are not terribly forgiving, regardless of how much time you spent on the painting you're putting them on. The second experimental technique was using tape to outline everything (yes everything. no, you don't want to know how much tape that took) to make the corners and edges crisper and more distinct.
Happily, things worked out and the sharpie was not a disaster. I think the sharp outline looks pretty good, so I'll probably use it again in the future at some point. The texture of the bass itself came out beautifully. But most importantly, I think the final piece captured the correct tone. After I went to one of my sister's jazz concerts I felt inspired to do a portrait in that spirit of bright music and dark suits, playfulness and professionalism. It turned out alright.
