Double Portrait of an Angry Boy and Girl in Red on Red

This is a double portrait of an angry boy and girl in red tones on red construction paper. The boy and girl were initially drawn with a thin black pen and grey marker to identify the placement and proportion of the eyes, nose, mouth, jaw lines and hair. The grey marker was used to fill in additional shadows in order to establish the structure of the faces. The skin of each face was filled with red marker, leaving the grey marker shadows visible underneath. A white gel pen was used to create starkly contrasting highlights in the eyes and skin against the deep reds from the marker and red construction paper background. Additional passes of grey marker and thin black pen created more details. Markers were used to apply colors to the hair and cloths, including orange, blue, yellow and green. A white paint pen applied to the red skin and hair creates a translucent effect with the highlights and helps give shape to the forms of the faces. A white gel pen adds pinpoint highlights and strands of hair. The boy on the left gazes forward while pouting with a furrowed brow. The girl faces forward with her eyes glaring to the left at the boy, with her mouth grimacing and brow furrowed. The boy and the girl’s expressions hold significant tension for young children.