Ebony commissions artist Shepard Fairey for Trayvon Martin portrait

Artist Shepard Fairey unveils his portrait of US President-elect Barack Obama before it was installed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington on January 17, 2009. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Artist Shepard Fairey unveils his portrait of US President-elect Barack Obama before it was installed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington on January 17, 2009. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Almost three months after the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, Ebony magazine commissioned artist Shepard Fairey, who gained fame in 2009 with his President Barack Obama’s “Hope” poster, to illustrate the teen.

theGrio: A tale of two hoodies: Mark Zuckerberg vs. Trayvon Martin

Fairey took to his blog to explain the inspiration behind the portrait.

“I have followed Trayvon’s case closely and I think any compassionate human being can relate to Trayvon as a brother or son and would want to see a thorough investigation into the killing of an unarmed person.  In my portrait I wanted to emphasize Trayvon’s humanity as well as the public outcry for a just investigation into his death,” Fairey wrote.

The portrait will grace the cover of Ebony magazine this week.

Trayvon Martin portrait by Shepard Fairey