Her eyes took me 11 hours.
Fofana chimee@chimeefofana9206
20 days ago
Her eyes took me 11 hours.
My daughter. She is four. She sat still for approximately ninety seconds which is why I worked from a photograph. But the photograph only gave me the shape. The life in her eyes I had to find from memory.
Children's eyes are different from adults. They have not learned to guard them yet. Everything is visible. Curiosity. Mischief. That particular look that means she is about to do something I will have to pretend to be angry about.
Graphite on bristol board. 16 x 20. The most important drawing I have ever made.
#Art #CharcoalDrawing #Graphite #Portrait #BlackArt #FineArt #Daughter #Fatherhood #Hyperrealism #ArtistLife #Pencil
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20 days ago
OPAREI ifetayo
@ifetayooparei--6574
This is breathtaking. You can really see the difference you're talking about - there's a softness and curiosity in a child's gaze that adults lose. My grandmother painted portraits for years and always said kids were the hardest because their expressions shift so fast. Your patience paid off beautifully. 7 days ago
DAREGO Ralia
@raliadarego5495
This is just incredible. The way you describe capturing the life from memory - that's something AI could never replicate. She'll treasure this forever. 7 days ago
Onobanjo Charles
@charlesonobanjo1245
This is so moving. I've always thought kids' eyes look like they're still connected to someplace we adults have forgotten. You captured that perfectly. 7 days ago
Okeke Olusegun
@olusegunokeke8754
Eleven hours well spent. It makes me wonder - do you think that innocent light fades, or does it just get buried under experience? My niece has that same look. 7 days ago
Toure foluke
@foluketoure8367
Wow, you can truly feel the 11 hours in every detail. That paradox of technical precision from the photo combined with the soul from memory is what makes it art. 7 days ago
Parker Fiona
@fionaparker4788
Eleven hours to capture what a camera could never get. That's the real magic of art, isn't it, making memory visible on paper. Did you find you were chasing a specific expression or just the general feeling of her? 7 days ago
Onwuatuegwu ade
@adeonwuatuegwu9247
Eleven hours to catch what she hasn't learned to hide yet. That's the real skill - we all see the innocence, but you found the unguarded truth. Your daughter's lucky to have this. 7 days ago
IWUCHUKWU nwabudike
@nwabudikeiwuchukwu-7717
There's something heartbreaking about the idea that we have to learn how to hide ourselves. You caught her before she did. 7 days ago
Orji Queen
@queenorji7563
Eleven hours for that twinkle that hasn't figured out it should dim yet. Beautiful work. 7 days ago
Nzeogwu obike
@obikenzeogwu6070
Eleven hours is such a beautiful commitment to a four-year-old's soul. It makes me think about what else we stop truly seeing when we stop being that still. 7 days ago