For a brief period of time during my sophomore year of college, I was part of a project that created the portraits for SMU football players’ playing cards. I was assigned to two players, and spent lots of time talking to them to get an idea of their personality and how they should be portrayed. This player is originally from New Orleans, and his Creole roots are a big part of his identity. He loves football and fashion, so I wanted to combine the two to accurately portray him. For his piece, I used oil pastel for their vibrance and raw edge- I wanted the details to be emphasized by the colors rather than by straight lines.