Portraits should express the personality of the subject and this one really does.  Rose is serious and intelligent, playful and silly.  The reference photo for this piece was taken on Valentine's Day in a crowded restaurant with lots of background "noise" and the table she was leaning on was black, so... artistic license.  The black background and foreground makes for drama and focuses the attention on Rose.  An Icarus heated painting board was used and was a big help in rendering the dark background.  That black consists of multiple layers of color - crimson, indigo, dark green, and 3 brands of black pencil  Pencils used - Prismacolor, Derwent Lightfast, Polychromos, and Luminance.  The substrate is Arches Aquarelle Hot Press #140.