Beloved Patriarch

Personal Background Info:
This is a portrait of my grandfather who is the head of our 'family clan'. He's an amazing Renaissance Man whose life experiences include -but are from from limited to- being Ambassador to the United States, Minister of Finance and Petrol, as well as Consult to the late Emir. He's met people like John F. Kennedy, Prince Charles, Margaret Thatcher, Om Kalthoum and many, many others. But above all I am most proud of my grandfather's reputation for being a man of integrity and principle.

Notes on the Drawing:
Usually his picture is taken in a formal setting, in dark or sombre tones. However, in this portrait, through the slightly playful use of color combined with the casual and comfortable pose, I wanted to show the private side of my grandfather that is not normally shown to the public: that of the warm family man that he is. I also tried to grasp the hint of sadness and wisdom in his eyes, juxtaposed with the faint traces of a smile on his lips.

I regret not taking a better photograph of this drawing before I had it framed and covered with glass. As you can see I didn't stand quite in front of it and so the perspective is slightly skewed.

Technical Details:
Pastel on Pastel Paper/Board.
180x140 cm (I think!)

Inconsequential Tidbit:
I'm not a registered Procrastinator for nothing! This portrait was left on that stand for over TWO YEARS before I finished it!! That's right, I did about 3/4 of it in the first day, and then left it lying there in my room gathering dust for TWO YEARS! I would come back to it every other month or so, and try to pick off the dust using a kneaded eraser and perhaps adding a swipe or two of pastel to it. Until finally my mom went nuts and made me finish it by betting that I COULDN'T finish it by the end of the week. Loser had to pay the Winner a hefty amount. Needless to say... I won the bet

LOL

I guess there IS a cure for procrastination!! Exasperated moms + cash rewards + threat of cash loss!

Hehehehe I could probably write a "Cure Yourself of Procrastination Book" and make millions...

Anyway, I've been on deviantART for just less than a year now, and this is the very first thing I've added to my gallery, although it's been finished about six months ago. Any comments would be much appreciated Tell me what you like as well as what you think I could improve on!