Julie London

(Sep 26, 1926 – Oct 18, 2000)

American Jazz Singer & Actress

I honestly couldn't remember what struck me first, Julie London's voice or her looks.

Both were striking.

Like with most musician portraits I make, I get instantly drawn to their music, and then feel inspired to make a drawing of them. Loving their music, I compliment the portrait with a curated mixtape of their work on Spotify, using the portrait as its record sleeve (see below).

Challenges:

In the beginning, I found it difficult to avoid London from looking like a mixture of different Old Hollywood actresses like Rita Hayworth or Lauren Becall. I obviously wanted London to look like her yet still pay homage to this Golden Hollywood era she came from.

Playing around with different colour palettes and hairstyles was the thing that got me to the look I wanted. It's funny just how much hair and colour can totally change the look and feel of a portrait.

Let me know if you're a fan of Julie London's work, and if you think I did her justice.

Julie London

Nov 2023

Personal Project

Check out below for some work-in-progress shots and source images I used: