The following is a class exercise in which we lay a grid over the image of a face, create our own grid and replicate the portrait.
I have selected the climactic scene from the 2019 folk-horror film ‘Midsommar‘ for my portrait.
The theme of the scene is the main character releasing grief from their old life while witnessing their partner’s ritualistic sacrificial burning. Having recently divorced, undergoing a (non-violent) ritual burning of my own, creating this piece of sombre beauty was a cathartic exercise.

I admit that I struggle with floral and botanical subjects. The exercise this piece was for allowed for either a botanical or portrait resolved work, but I decided to challenge myself by incorporating both (as I have a history in portraits, allowing me to complement a weaker skill with a stronger one). The process of gridding the space was an effective way of addressing this challenge, as it turned the botanicals into smaller shapes that relate to each other.

The below is the source image, initial draft in pencil, topographical line study in pen, and resolved work in watercolour and pen.