Midnight Melody
Despite Collection 2023
Hakim Rahsul is a homeless man in Savannah Georgia that plays the saxophone every night to make a living. I wanted to create a work of art that shows how River Street wouldn't be the same without Hakim's beautiful music flowing throughout the streets. When I met Hakim, I asked him if I could take a photo of him so I could draw him. He agreed and played me "All Shook Up" by Elvis Presley. I created this piece digitally through the program procreate so I could emphasize the bright highlights outlining Hakim's shirt as well as the glow of the music flowing out of his saxophone. I also wanted to make sure I could give a print to Hakim once I finished. This artwork is very special to me because Savannah has become my new home and it wouldn't be the same without the people I've met here. Hakim is so sweet and fell in love with the drawing once I showed him.
* This creation is framed
I started out by choosing my favorite reference photo and planning my composition. Originally, I was going to draw on a horizontal canvas but I decided that the message would be better understood if the focus was cropped closer to Hakim by using a vertical canvas. I used a two point perspective to achieve the correct dimensions in the background then I started sketching Hakim using very gestural strokes. I used a couple different brushes as well as the smudge tool to achieve different textures throughout the piece. Once I fully rendered the background and Hakim, I began adding in the glowing music. I used a buildup of layers using a soft brush and the screen mode to create the glowing effect. I got a little carried away by creating way too many strokes of music so I had to go back and simplify. I love how the music travels from the saxophone and up the stairs. This really shows how Hakim's music travels throughout River Street. My favorite part about rendering this piece was adding the pattern to Hakim's shirt. The folds and dramatic lighting draw the viewer's eye in. I think the most challenging part of the whole piece was rendering the saxophone because it has so many different sections of metal with overlapping highlights. Overall, I love how this piece turned out and I'm glad I got the opportunity to share Hakim's story through my artwork.
