Drawing someone as beautiful as they are is one thing. Drawing them as beautiful as they once were is another. Which is why it has been taking me some time to finish a portrait I have been working on for the past few months.

As some of you may recall I did a post regarding my goddess daughter Ava who will be walking along side my dear friend Regina (her Mom) in the Out of the Darkness Walk in memory of her older sister Mia who had unexpectedly passed away in June.

I have had the honor of watching Mia grow up from an adorable, smart little girl into a very talented and incredible young woman. The thought of her choosing to no longer be in this world at the age of 21 seemed (and still seems) so surreal to me. At times in her life Mia struggled with feeling accepted and because of that she always went out of her way to make others know that they were loved, having their backs when they needed it, and opening her heart of gold to others even when she herself was not always feeling complete. That is why after getting the news of her passing and the initial shock had “settled” I knew I had to do something in her memory that represented the beautiful soul that she was and will always be to those who had the honor of knowing her.

Just like Mia often did, I channeled my mix of emotions into art and decided to do a portrait for my friend Regina. I had a hard time choosing what photo to use until I came across one that really spoke to me. It was one that showed her smiling and living in the moment and there was movement (from the wind) in the photo that gave it “life”. Although it was not the clearest image and there were other people in it, I decided to pick up my pencils and went to work.

I have found that memorial portraits of people you personally know can tend to be hard to get through. It’s why I have not done a ton of them despite losing so many people in my life. Not only do you have the usual pressure of making it look like the person, but you are reminded over and over again why you are drawing the portrait in the first place. The younger they are the harder it becomes. It can often bring on a roller coaster of emotions. This portrait was no exception. At times when I would struggle working on it I would call on Mia and ask to channel her talents because I wanted to be able to give her Mom something special to help get her through the turmoil of losing her.

When I finished it I was nervous to share it with Regina at first. Not just because I knew it would stir up her emotions but because I really wanted to do her daughter justice and reflect how breathtaking she really was. When she saw it she told me she couldn’t get over how much it looked like Mia and told me how much she loves it.

My hope now is that whenever my friend looks at this portrait that she is reminded of the wonderful job she did raising such an admirable daughter who loved so unconditionally. A young woman in a cruel world who still showed love, kindness, and acceptance to those she met along the way. Someone we can all learn so much from. Someone we will never forget.

Stay Spooky & Magical,
LDG Nicole