I completed this drawing a few weeks ago. It was commissioned as a gift for the young girl in the picture called Katlyn. Katlyn is my client’s girlfriend and she sadly lost her grandmother Rose last year. They were very close and naturally Katlyn misses her terribly. My client, Katlyn’s boyfriend, wanted to give her something very special to remind her of her grandmother.
He contacted me earlier in June this year with his idea of this portrait. The portrait features a lovely moment Katlyn and her grandmother share in an embrace. He wanted me to add a poem somewhere in the portrait together with a picture of a small rose.
It was a very special commission to work on and thoroughly enjoyed the process of capturing all the elements of the composition on paper. The photo of Katlyn and Rose was a little unclear, taken at night in a dark room, but it gave me enough to work with I felt.
The client was delighted with the scanned image of the drawing:
Hi Ivana! Yes I’m very happy with the drawing it looks brilliant! It’s exactly like the normal photo, unbelievable and you’re fantastic at the drawing. It’s absolutely spot on, thank you very much!
Sean on receiving the scanned image upon completion of the portrait, July 2023
The drawing is medium size at 30 x 25 cm. It is one of my most popular sizes. I had one reference photo for the main image. I worked with a line sketch at first, as usual, capturing the likeness of the subjects. I then moved on to the shading which was completed with Staedtler Mars Lumograph Black pencils and Faber-Castell Matt Pitt graphite pencils. The finished drawing was sprayed with a fixative to keep the dust away. I posted it mounted in a neutral coloured mount.
The client sent me a lovely email upon receiving his drawing yesterday:
Hi Ivana! I have just received the portrait today and I’m over the moon with it! It’s even better seeing it in front of me. You’re very talented and unbelievable drawer. I can’t thank you enough, it’s unbelievable. Once i frame it I’ll let you know what Katlyn thinks. I’m sure she’ll be over the moon, it’s unbelievable…
Sean upon receiving his finished portrait drawing, county Mayo, Ireland
