The Origin
I was to make a caricature of any famous person. This sounded simple at first, but when I started to look around for a celebrity to draw, I could find that I liked. So I decided to delve into the past. That is where I found the songbird of Jazz.

The Work
This work started by first sketching out the caricature. The sketch was more less based on a picture of Billie Holiday singing. I decided to add a little focus on her tragic past, the drinking and heroin addiction.

This sketch was scanned into the computer. The image was taken into Illustrator was to be used as a template. The illustration was created using the pen tool and several layers.

Once the areas were created with the pen tool, then they were filled in colour. I obviously chose blue, because she was the lady who sang the blues. The dress was filled in by using the gradient mesh. This was the first time I had used the gradient mesh, it was a pain and fun.

I intended to create a contrast between the glamour of being a singer and the pain that is overlooked of being a celebrity. That is why the dress is made to more three dimensional while Billie Holiday is left looking flat.

This tribute to Billie Holiday might be seen as a bit biting, but I see as accepting all of Billie Holiday.

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