Jason Seiler: Aretha Franklin
Master caricaturist Jason Seiler has done work for numerous major magazines like the Rolling Stone, The Village Voice and Utne. He is equally adept at traditional and digital painting. Seiler works in a traditional manner even in Photoshop — he builds his layers of color not unlike the old masters, using burnt umber underpainting as the first step. (He has published two books of his work which can be purchased HERE.)
Here are his comments regarding his take on Aretha…
“I did this painting of Aretha as a step by step demonstration for 3D Total Magazine. My intentions were to not capture the “typical” Aretha that we all know. The loud belting it out Aretha. Instead I was more interested in capturing the sluggish pose that I often see . . . the shape and form were hard to resist, there’s so much character in her pose.”
Seiler’s portrait may capture the late period Aretha in a moment of repose, but her early career was anything but sedate. Her run of hits in 1967-8 included the soul classics; “Respect,” “I Never Loved a Man,” “Chain of Fools,” “Baby I Love You,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Think.”
The Painted Note Gallery 
Disrespectful.
This is not appealing and I agree with previous commenter. Disrespectful. This likeness does not only show the body pose you allude to but exaggerates her facial features to resemble stereotypical negative portrayals of black peoples in the media/mainstream since the 19th century.