This was a challenge. It’s hard enough drawing friends, but drawing a friend when asked by her partner of many years – knowing exactly how her smile looks and squint of the eyes, every facial expression. How does one capture all of that faithfully?
Pencil and conté crayon on paper.
Being a fan of 50s/60s kitsch art, have been playing with a contemporary way to create this type of art featuring modern iconic people. Some famous, some not. This is Ida Gyllensten, actress and singer. Drawn in pencil and crayon.
Ida is a friend from wild days in London in the mid-noughties.
Ida is a phenomenal actress. The Guardian said of Ida’s Magdalena in Scandi Noir ‘End of Summer’:
Magdalena is overly protective of her youngest son and cruelly dismisses her daughter. Some of those flashback scenes are beautifully dream-like, before they dissolve into nightmares.
It’s currently on BBC iPlayer.
https://idagyllensten.se/english
https://dreamingofislands1.bandcamp.com/album/dreaming-of-islands
These frames were commissioned by Lizzie Haines at Shoot it Momma (shootitmomma.co.uk). They form the backdrop for the website. They are all drawn from real frames and mirrors – some from my mother’s house. On the website, they frame some of Lizzie’s photos.
Commission for a wine label.