Despite being based on a very common photo of Charles Mingus, this was actually extremely hard to do.

First I took many, many fine lines of different shades of brown, black, gray, and white, and laid a base for what I figured would be corresponding the best with the original photo.

I then used very careful blotching (oxymoron, I know) over some areas to make it appear as if underneath a very real looking layer, was absolute chaos.

I'll be honest, the appearance sort of disgusts me in the way of how I feel that paintings should be classically. Yet I am very proud of the simple, yet abstract final product, regardless.