I started working on this portrait immediately after finishing my Rosie the Riveter recreation. Like, that same night. The goal was to use what I learned doing the recreation and transform it all into something new.
While coloring Rosie, I learned an unfortunate lesson: Pastels do not come in colors resembling skin tones when you are on a budget. So for this portrait, I skipped the step of trying to make actual designated art supplies work, and decided to color the entire thing with makup. The skin tones are mostly done with cream foundation and my friend’s ELF contour palette. That lipstick? It’s actual lipstick. And the eyeliner you see is indeed real eyeliner. This quirk is what made the portrait so much fun to do.
The hair was completed using pastels, as well as the pyrotechnic bra, and the sparks and background text were done using one of my favorite products at the arts & crafts store, glitter-glue.
Modern queen of pop Lady Gaga served as a fabulous muse, and I loved studying her facial expression and portraying her in thsi way. The quote, “If you’re a strong female, you don’t need permission” comes from her song “Scheiße”, expressing a modern, powerful take on feminism.