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Tudor Portraits

Thursday, 23 June 2011

The Queen Reigns: Elizabeth I, Portrait

England's first Queen Elizabeth was a consummate manipulator of her own image. Her portraits, like her fathers, represent her political power and ambition, as well as elevating her from human to an icon.

It was difficult to choose which one of her portraits to use as inspiration, and I had two finalists. 
Her shrewd eyes in this portrait seem to me to convey intelligence and restraint, something very guarded. 

However, it's the triumph of the Armada portrait that I was drawn to.  It may have been the big lacey collar that attracted me, but really it's the grand scale of the image, and the slight smile that drew me in.

Okay, maybe I just wanted to draw the fancy lace.

So, below you'll see my progress and execution of the portrait... 

Pencil baselines flesh out the details, followed by inking.

The basic inking is finished, then followed by cross-hatching 
to fill the background and smeared with water, making a grey wash.
And a new Tudor Portrait is complete!


  1. thanks for sharing! i love your stuff on etsy, btw, i;m a huge fan :)

  2. Wauw: I like your art work verry much!!! Verry much!