"I don't like it when he shaves his beard."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And that simple sentence was the inspiration behind 15-year-old Caitlin James' outstanding entry of her father Andrew in the Young Archie Exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Her quirky entry of her dad in a light-hearted moment, titled 'What I'd look like without a beard', has been included as a finalist - not bad when you consider there were more than 2100 entries, with just 40 making the short list.
It's also a fitting follow up to the Ashtonfield teenager's entry of last year - ironically, of her grandfather - which gained a 'highly commended'.
"It was a all bit of a joke this time," Caitlin explained. "I don't like it when dad shaves his beard too close, so when he walked past me he covered it up with his hands and I thought 'why not?'
"So I took a photo, blew it up on my computer and started drawing."
And what did mum think?
"She thought it was all a bit stupid at first," Caitlin said. "But she started liking it the more it progressed."
The graphite image is extremely realistic, with the details in the eye and beard - what you can see of it - a highlight.
"It took about four hours all up ... not a particularly long time," she said. "I paint occasionally, but like pencil because of the detail and tone you get. It tends to be more realistic in its detail."
Caitlin has no doubts her work has improved since last year, which is somewhat surprising as she hadn't drawn in about seven months.
"I just hadn't found the time I guess, but I certainly want to improve and hope that one can I can do it professionally in some capacity," she said.
Dad done, grandfather done ... watch out mum.