Grandfather and Mother portrait

My grandfather, Grandpa Madden, turned 90 on Friday! (Congrats Old-timer!) For his gift, I drew a portrait of him and his only child, my mother. It was done in pencil with watercolor as a duotone.

Duotones were common in the age of black and white photos-- a b/w photo or print was tinted with a color such as blue or sepia to enhance the photo or artwork. I chose a blue color for the drawing to give it a dreamy quality and because they both have beautiful baby blues. The drawing shows them together, but was taken from two different photos-- my mother's graduation photo and Grandpa's wedding photo.

(click for larger view)