The first time I saw Monique, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her dark hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight. There was something about her that was simply irresistible.

As an artist, I knew I had to capture her beauty in an artwork. I rarely painted portraits but couldn't resist the wish to paint Monique.

I approached her and asked if she would sit for me. To my delight, she agreed.

Over the next two weeks, I spent countless hours painting Monique's portrait. I worked meticulously, striving to capture every detail of her flawless face.

As I painted, I learned more about Monique. She was kind, intelligent, and had a wicked sense of humour. I enjoyed our conversations as much as I enjoyed painting her.

Finally, the portrait was complete. I stepped back to examine my work and was somewhat pleased with my creation. The painting could always be better, but anyway, now Monique's beauty was immortalized on an illustration board.

I invited Monique to my studio to see the finished portrait, and she was overjoyed with the result. She told me she had never felt more beautiful than when she saw herself in my painting.

As the years passed, Monique and I became great friends. We lost touch for a while, but when we reconnected, she told me the giclee print of her portrait still hung in her home, reminding her of that particular time in our lives.

To this day, whenever I look at Monique's portrait, I am transported back to the moment I first saw her. She will always be a dark-haired beauty with brown eyes, captured forever on my paper board.

I rarely paint portraits, and this is one of the few I've created.

• Materials: acid-free paper board, professional-grade acrylics, three coats of gloss varnish
• Size: 22 x 29 x 0.3 cm
• Style: Realism
• The artwork is not framed.
• The second image only shows an example of how the painting may look in a frame and on a wall.
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