This work is a piece in a series of small scale portraits done by observation. The idea was to paint the people near me who I am especially close to, specifically because we all live together at a boarding school. The expression of the subject was an organic one, and since I couldn't get my model to hold the expression for long, the process of painting was split into a rough underpainting done from observation and another quick session of painting based on photo reference. As for the technique, I chose to use a mix of soft blending and hard edges to give a realistic feel to the subject and her expression. The spirals in the background are a staple in my artistic style, and feature as a part of the interpretation of my subject's personality. The work started as a class assignment, but turned into an involved study of someone I'm close to with a mixed process of observation and intuition.