"At the end, I want to be covered. My whole body"


When Shar Yanambaka (creative extraordinaire for Shabby Craft Boutique) approached us with these 2 simple sentences, our gears started turning. It took a week of planning and figuring out the lighting, but when it came to the day of the "charcoaling", we were ready! Shar's passion for her art was so simple to convey in this format, as she poured her energy into making this project come alive. "The goal was to showcase the fun, creativity, and perfectly imperfect messiness of charcoal painting, all while highlighting my craft business, Shabby Craft Boutique."

Person in white dress creating art on floor with charcoal.
Close up of hands drawing with charcoal on white paper.

As a photographer, you get used to positioning your subject, making suggestions for clothing or rearranging the set during a session. Once Shar started drawing on the paper we laid out, it was quickly clear I had 1 job: just take pictures. It was so easy to stand there, with my camera in hand, not pushing the trigger because I was getting lost in her creating. At times, she would make big, sweeping arc, lines and squiggles, seemingly without a plan. Then moments later she would push some powder between the areas she just drew and rub, pull, push and bend the medium to her vision. Shar recalls "As soon as we started, I was hit with a WAVE of childhood memories SO intense it threw me off guard. I realized during the session that I had never truly explored my creative potential in crafts before."

Hands and feet with charcoal marks on white surface with sketched designs.

As the afternoon wore on, the charcoal was taking over Shar's skin. Unintentionally, the powder on her feet would "draw" on the paper where she had already drawn, creating something completely different. New shapes and intensities as a result of pure randomness scattered on the pages.

Dramatic black and white portrait with artistic lighting and charcoal elements.
Full length portrait in white dress against artistic charcoal backdrop.
Artistic portrait with charcoal-smudged figure sitting against white background.
Intimate artistic portrait with charcoal drawings in background.
Close-up of hands drawing symbols and patterns with charcoal.

At the end of the session, I was able to finally get her to take a moment to be present with the camera, and capture her wish - to be covered. Her whole body.


"This year has been such a rollercoaster, and art has unexpectedly become my biggest outlet. When I look back at starting Shabby Craft Boutique in April 2024, it all began with the simple intention of sharing my past artwork—nothing more, nothing less. Fast forward to December, and it has grown into something so meaningful."


"I feel incredibly lucky that Erik & Barb came into the picture at a time when I had the desire to bring this vision to life but wasn’t quite sure how to execute it. Through sharing ideas and blending them with their own creativity, the final result felt like the creation of a charcoal universe—smudging, blending, and then bursting into a beautifully messy masterpiece, much like the Big Bang of creativity."