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“Love Is More Sustainable”- The Process

Blog, My Process

Mar 12, 2020

Portrait Painting of Rose Namajunas showing the art process.
Progress collage of the colored pencil painting “Love Is More Sustainable.”

“More Than A Dreamer” was the inspiration behind this beautiful commission. My client loves “More Than A Dreamer” and wanted a similar portrait of his favorite UFC fighter, Rose Namajunas, that featured an inspirational quote from her. My client provided an image that he liked and the quote he wanted me to include in the art. He let me know that his favorite thing about the photo was the emotion on her face. With the photo and information I needed, I got to work!

I always begin any commission with a series of quick sketches to show the client. The sketches show various options for the artwork. There are so many ways to recreate a photo as a piece of art! I presented the following sketches to my client:

“Love Is More Sustainable” sketch option A1.
“Love is More Sustainable” sketch option A2.

In these options I played around with composition and background elements and colors. My client decided to go with option A2 because the portrait really emphasized the emotion in Rose’s face.

I began the final artwork by drawing a loose outline. At this stage I also slowly build up layers of color by lightly applying colored pencils.

Outline drawing of Rose Namjunas.
The outline with the first layers of color.

I continue this process the entire time. As I build the colors I also gradually adjust the drawing, checking for accuracy and proportions.

In progress drawing of Rose Namajunas.
I began making slight adjustments to her facial features.
This is when the portrait really started to come to life!

When I am happy with the drawing accuracy, I then begin adding the darkest colors and the smaller details.

I added the darkest colors and began work on the belt.

Once the portrait had been fully rendered, I lightly wrote the quote with colored pencil.

Once I received the client’s approval, I traced over the quote in ink and the artwork was complete! He loved it!