Theo, first trumpet

Twelve years old, second line band, and absolutely certain about it. Drawn from two photographs and one recording.

All Every head on file Gift portraits August 2026
The sitting
Client
Private commission
Use
Gift, framed
Medium
Ink and gouache
Size
11 x 14 in
Delivered
May 2026

His mother sent two photographs, both blurry, and a recording of him playing at a parade. The recording was the more useful of the two. A child's face has almost nothing to exaggerate, so the caricature has to come out of posture and the instrument instead. The horn got bigger, the shoulders went back, and the cheeks did what cheeks do.