This drawing was an inspired one. I was watching a docudrama on the Tate murders by Charles Manson and his "family." Sharon Tate was a beautiful and inspiring actress whose life and the life of her unborn child was cut too short. Manson was hoping to jump-start a war between blacks and whites in America by murdering wealthy residents of Los Angeles who had belittled him in his life.

But Sharon Tate didn't deserve to die, and neither did her baby and the four people in her home that were visiting her. She was a beautiful woman of the 1960s and her style and taste were impeccable. That's what drove me to sketch her. This drawing was especially challenging due to the extremely dark shadows in the portrait. There were also flowers in her hair in the original photo, but I haven't perfected anything other than people, so I just edited them out.

Overall, this has become one of my favorite portraits, especially since her hair looks almos realistic.