A family name imagined as a princess
A Portrait Built From a Name
I painted Princess of Castillo as a gift in March 2019. For portraits like this, I begin with a concept that belongs to the person rather than a generic fantasy costume. The surname Castillo appears to have Spanish origins and means “castle,” so architecture became the visual grammar of the character.
Four People, Four Repeated Stones
Her family has four people: her parents, her brother, and her. I used four as a visual rhyme across the composition. The gold crown carries four emeralds. Battlement shapes return in the crown, collar, belt, and ruined gateway, linking the small costume details to the larger setting.
The emeralds and repeated fortification shapes carry the family reference through the portrait.
Strength Through Dress and Color
The red and gold dress draws from Spanish medieval armor to suggest strength and determination without turning the portrait into a literal suit of armor. Green and white from the family coat of arms move into the landscape, with red and gold held closer to the figure.
Costume, heraldic color, and landscape resolve as one invented character rather than separate references.
The finished illustration was also prepared as a printed gift.
