2D: Project 2 - Tonal Portrait (Hues & Meaning)

 3/4/2026

Lane Adams drawing Lazaro Diaz.

Reflection

    I’ve associated the color blue with Lazaro ever since I first met him, primarily as he was wearing a navy blue sweater and mentioned enjoying Minecraft. Think the hue of a Minecraft ocean. I went into my interview with him prepared to change my mind, but the interview barely changed anything. Lazaro enjoys the beach; he’s from Key West and likes catching crabs in the Mangrove trees. He’s obsessed with the moon and the night; his favorite climate is a temperate, clear night. His favorite genre is fantasy and he likes to express himself through listening to music and singing. I felt blue was a fit, but I no longer saw the previous Minecraft ocean blue. Lazaro struck me as a calm, kind person who enjoyed wearing the shoes that fit him (a weird way of saying he likes to be himself). As such, I chose indigo. 

    Many aspects of this portrait came together flawlessly– serene energy, the color indigo, and a guy obsessed with the night and the moon. I will be the first to admit that I was lucky in how the stars aligned for me. For composition, I mostly battled with how to incorporate an ocean, the moon, mangrove trees, and Lazaro’s face in it; all things that belong together, but don’t line up with size. After experimenting with surrealist proportions, I decided on a scenic shot of the beach with some mangrove trees as Lazaro’s face/bust rises above the seascape, the moon hovering out/around his mouth. This worked well for me, as a tonally dark portrait with brighter tints serving primarily as highlights and light sources was first instinct to me. I made an active attempt to use pure white as minimally as possible throughout this portrait to keep emphasis on the moon and the reflections of light in the water and in the eyes. Some might struggle to make the tonal setup relaxing rather than intense, but I found that the indigo was naturally serene and didn’t require much effort. 

    Ultimately, I’m very pleased with my depiction of Lazaro, in both his likeness, the conceptual aspect, and in my technical skill.

Discussion Questions: 

• Obviously my portrait does not perfectly portray Lazaro’s likeness, but based on what I have, can you at least tell it’s him?
• I describe him as “calm” and thus used Indigo, but do you all feel that the color genuinely fits him?
• I chose to take a surrealist route for this artwork, but did not approach it as if it were a movie poster. Does it still meet your vision of what a movie poster could possibly look like?