This post is about my recent portrait featuring a woman and a Chevrolet Bel Air. This portrait was drawn from old photographs assumingly taken in early 50’s. The person featured in the portrait is the grandmother of the woman named Jen who commissioned me to create this artwork as an original gift for her mother for the upcoming Mother’s Day.

The portrait of the grandmother was drawn from old photographs

The younger generation is luckier than our parents and older ancestors when it comes to preserving time and memory of their loved ones. Today almost anyone can make and share hundreds of photos and videos of decent quality without having to visit specialized studios and even enable real-time remote communication with his or her mother using free Internet tools when she is far away. Our parents had not all those technological benefits we enjoy today living in the digital age. Very often our parents have to content themselves with a few poor quality photos of their fathers and mothers. It’s pity those photos oftentimes do not look good enough to be hung on a wall or be displayed in a conspicuous place.

The custom gift for Mother’s Day – the grandma portrait with a Chevy car

That’s the reason why Jen has chosen a portrait of her grandma as a surprise gift for her mom who apparently had only a few old and faded b&w photos of her mother.

The monochrome version of the grandma’s portrait

The color version of the grandma’s portrait

I personally think this portrait is a good, creative and touching idea for the Mother’s Day gift. Jen wanted the portrait to have a vintage vibe and reflect the spirit of 1950s when her grandmother was enjoying her young years. She suggested introducing a vintage Chevrolet car to the portrait to support this retro portrait idea. To my surprise when I asked her to choose between two drawing styles for the portrait – drawing with color pencils and pen brushes (a kind of imitation of the traditional vintage drawing style) and black and white drawing with brushes and pen & ink using the hatching technique – she chose the latter option as she believed that the black and white hatching would give the portrait a very peculiar retro look. Well, I tried my best to impart the vintage vibe to the drawing and to adapt my hatching technique to the desired result. I also created a few color versions of the digital image of the portrait to add more retro appearance to the artwork. I hope that Jen’s mother will appreciate the gift, and a large and good-looking portrait of the beloved mother and grandmother will find its place of honor in a conspicuous place of the happy family’s house to always remind them the person whose loving care can never be forgotten and underappreciated.

Watch this video on YouTube.

rel="nofollow" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">Watch this video on Youtube

Related posts:
Drawing a portrait from an old photograph
Pin-up with a 1956 Chevrolet car

Igor Lukyanov – Graphic Artist | Illustrator | Portraitist

Betty Grable Related Items For Sale

---

Betty Grable related articles from the blogosphere…

Biography – Betty Grable: Behind the Pin-Up [VHS] She starred in over 100 films, and at one point was the highest-paid performer in Hollywood. But it seems she will always be better known for her legs!Her pin-up inspired millions of American GIs in World War II. The classic image of the beautiful long-legged woman appeared on everything from footlockers to airplanes. Yet she played as important a role in the history of Hollywood as she did in the war effort. In this definitive BIOGRAPHY, interviews with friends Alice Faye, Debbie… List Price: $ 19.95 Price: $ 19.95 CC: Betty Grable, photo by classic film scans

Betty Grable is known for her legs. For a nice collection of photos featuring those gams of Betty’s, go to this website for a peak…
Betty Grable's Legs, 1943 | Retronaut

www.retronaut.co6/2/12

4 comments to Betty Grable's Legs, 1943. Jen. June 3, 2012 at 10:29 pm · Reply. what happened to her arm in the 10th photo? Richard Montalban. July 3, 2012 at 5:21 pm · Reply. Yeah, that is weird! Catarina. June 8, 2012 at …

---

Want to know a bit about Elizabeth Ruth Grable otherwise known as the beautiful actress and pin-up Betty Grable, then visit this webiste for a short bio and nice photos:
Classic Hollywood Beauties: Betty Grable

classichollywoodbeauties.blogspot.com
7/31/12

Betty Grable was born on December 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the youngest of three children (her brother died before Betty was born). By the age of five she was taking tap dancing and …

---

It fascinates me how people can connect with the movie stars of yesteryear, but they do as witness this blog’s connecting with Betty Grable…

Running With A Glue Gun: Classic Movie Star Love: Betty Grable

runningwithagluegun.blogspot.com8/9/12

When I was thinking of starting this series the first person I should post about was so obvious, Betty Grable.Why her? Well, Betty Grable movies were the first 1940 musicals, I had ever watch. She is also my grandmother's …

Betty in Stripes….
I Sea Stripes: Betty Grable

iseastripes.blogspot.com7/29/12

… fashion models, political activists, architects and artists, photographers, prostitutes, paramedics and fashionistas around the globe. I Sea Stripes! Monday, July 30, 2012. Betty Grable. …

Betty Grable Related Items For Sale

[phpbay]Betty Grable, 13, “1”, “”[/phpbay] [phpbay]Betty Grable, 3, “57”, “”[/phpbay] [phpbay]Betty Grable, 5, “196”, “”[/phpbay]

Betty Grable “1940’s Pin-up Girl”

American dancer, singer, and actress. Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the Life magazine project “100 Photos that Changed the World”. Grable was particularly noted for…

Find More Pinup Products

Betty Grable