Shine bright like a Hollywood star

For my new art project I'm drawing all the Hollywood stars of the 1950's and 60's, so Marilyn, Audrey and Elizabeth are all in the process of having their portrait drawn by me!

This afternoon I've been sketching away at Audrey Hepburn's beautiful face in her iconic Breakfast at Tiffany's character, Holly Golihgtly. Her exquisite features and natural style come across so well in the movie, yet drawing her is a whole new ball game... Basically very hard! But I shall not give up and will draw on until my hand aches and my brow sweats with concentration.

I chose to look at the Golden Age of Hollywood for my fine art project because its a period in history that changed the course of film making forever. All those years ago, there was only the big movie stars to worship, no b list celebs or wannabes; only the real deal. Marilyn Monroe was not a great actress but her figure, beauty and witty quotes that kept the press hot on her heels, made her an icon. Her impact on the film industry and the public is still remembed today. Elizabeth Taylor swamped in her pearls, Rita Hayworth's dazzling teeth, Frank Sinatra's soulful voice and star presence, Grace Kelly and her beauty. These are the stars that really matter, whose iconic photos are vintage gold today.

I love Hollywood and the glamour that surrounded it in the 1950's. There is something so stylish and sophisticated in the black and white photographs of Hollywood actresses. Their positions, pose, hair and make is just flawless and utterly breath taking. There are so many celebrities today that the term 'star quality' is just thrown around to describe everyone from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian to Amy Childs from The Only Way is Essex. The world of the rich and famous is nothing now compared to what it had been all those years ago. Everyone's copying everyone, nobody is original and Hollywood is just brimming with hundreds of 'famous' actors trying to make it big. The days of Sophia Loren and Bridgette Bardot are no more. However, they are the still the true stars. The stars that shone, that had quality and were completely original.

With this project, I hope to draw these movie stars in all their glory and hopefully do them justice (fingers crossed). But even if Vivien Leigh looks nothing like Vivien Leigh in my portrait, you'll know exactly who she is. How? Because she's a Hollywood superstar!