Although I finished this piece on March 21st, it’s taken me a while to get around to writing a post. In the midst of college admissions decisions, the end of the 3rd quarter, spring break and spring sports, painting has been such an escape and it is super nice to create something I am very proud of during such a hectic time. This is my third and final (for now) painting of Grimes – Claire Boucher. And, this is my favorite rendition of her yet. The reference photo I used is from 2012, following the production of her first album, Visions. I was drawn to the loose, funky green braids and bangs; immediately, I knew it would be great to incorporate “line” into. Additionally, I wanted to challenge myself with a pose that is not straight on. In this photo, she has her side profile to the camera, her face is tilted upwards and she is fully smiling. About halfway through this piece, I decided it was going to be my Project Two: Line – Final Project.
To reflect on Project Two: Line, here is a mini Q&A.
Q: How did you incorporate “line” into this piece?
A: I kept the layers on the face distinct. Using gradients of colors/shades, I was able to build the shapes of the face in individual brushstrokes. I got to lean into this with the hair, and construct the braids with longer, and therefore more noticeable, lines.
Q: What constructive criticism do you have?
A: Like in my previous paintings, the area I struggle in the most is facial proportions. However, unlike in previous paintings, I did not create a detailed sketch first. While my rendering’s proportions aren’t entirely true (especially in the jaw/chin), I am still satisfied by how the expression turned out and that I can with more confidence and less under-sketching.
Q: Is under-sketching a real word?
A: No, but underdrawing is.
Q: How has this project affected your style?
A: Well, this was my first real chance to experiment with hair – I’d either only painted men or skipped over the hair of women entirely – and as you can probably tell, hair is a huge part of Grimes’ style. This means that line really has influenced my style of hair, and I am looking forward to seeing how it stays with me as I paint hair in the future. I also paid a lot of attention to preserving the brushstroke in the final product. This has always been an aspect of my style, but now I feel like it’s become central and pivotal to my work.
Here is the piece in different lightings alongside the reference.
Here are all three paintings of Grimes next to each other.
