What a challenge and delight it was to capture Isaiah’s essence in oil paint on canvas. He is a delightful grandson, loving boy, and joy to everyone who knows him. This video shows the process I went through from mixing the skin tones and creating a grid to adding the finishing touches:

I enjoyed trying a different style with this portrait; analyzing the subtleties of various skin tones and placing them where I saw them on the reference photo. I also resisted the urge to smooth and blend his skin. This portrait received more likes on Facebook than any of my precious ones so this style definitely resonated with viewers.