Traditional Art: Green-haired Girl (watercolor)

This is a watercolor I did from around a year ago.  It was my fifth portrait (yes, I can count the number of portraits that I've done), but I still consider it to be one of my better pieces.

It began with a desire to paint green.  Said green paint ended up being her hair, but the portions I am most pleased with are her clothes and the background.  Her skin also turned out very nicely, with a more natural, pale tone than what I normally do.


When it comes to dimensions, this is a very small piece, probably hanging in the range of  9 in. by 6 in.  My more recent ones (found in the previous posts) are much larger.  Both are approximately 24 in. by 16 in.  Currently, I prefer the larger canvas because it allows for a lot more fine detail.  However, a smaller canvas also has its benefits.  The image may not be as finely detailed, but the basic shapes and shading can be superior to a larger painting.  Because the image is so small, an artist cannot be distracted as much by the tiny details and can focus more on the basic shaping and lay of the skin, clothes, hair, etc.  Also, the background of a smaller portrait can be far easier to handle.  Because the background area is not very large, one or two simple brushstrokes can provide a very smooth, waterfall effect, as evidenced in this particular piece.


Techniques/Tips:

Skin:

 - Purple is your friend.  It is the number one shading pigment in my arsenal of colors, and most definitely one of the most flexible.  When shading skin, it can be mixed with the basic skin tone to form an absolutely wonderful shadow.  

 - In this image, I also used a tiny bit of black.  However, this is a VERY DANGEROUS and risky color to use in watercolor because it is opaque and utterly flat.  There is a pigment called NEUTRAL TINT that works well as a black substitute, but I did not have any at the time I was painting this portrait.  Again, I repeat, be very careful when using black, especially in portraits because it can flatten and muddy a person's skin in no time.

Hair:

 - Using abnormal hair colors can be great practice.  Not only does it create awesome looking hair, but it can help a person grasp the use of the color and its various shades to a greater degree.

 - GREEN is an especially difficult color.  It is extremely overwhelming, equal to if not more overwhelming than its complementary color RED.  It can easily dominate an image if not properly used.  Now, I'm not saying to completely reign in your use of green.  It is a great color with a wide range of uses.  However, it is simply a color that must be practiced with often in order to properly use it.

Background:

 - I used a WET-ON-WET technique for this background.  Now, the main asset I had in order to complete this technique was the small canvas size.  The paint spread perfectly to fill the entire space with no breaks or interruptions.  It would be harder to achieve on a larger canvas, though it would be possible with a large brush  and more pigment.

Clothes:

 - I used a DRY-ON-WET technique for the clothes, meaning that the brush was dry, but the canvas was wet.  This gave the clothing a more "block-y" texture. 

 - Also, I made sure to leave lots of HOLIDAYS.  A holiday is a small white space left in a picture.  Sometimes, there can be too many holidays, but a few are very useful because the lighten the image and make it less "heavy" looking.

Traditional Art: Genesis Rhapsodos (watercolor)

Yet another few photos of a watercolor of mine.  I managed to snap them before my camera's battery died.  As you can see, I am far better at offline work than I am at digital art.  

This is one of my personal favorites.  I am extremely pleased with how it turned out, especially the hair and the clothes.  There are so many techniques and tips that I have to go with this piece, resulting in a relatively long post.  I have not, however, put in a background yet.  I do not think that the drip technique would be good for this piece, so I'm looking to some of my older work for ideas.  

Have any of you recognized the subject matter yet?  Probably not, but this portrait is based off Genesis Rhapsodos from the Final Fantasy VII compilation.  I have recently been getting into Final Fantasy and once I saw Genesis's hair and coat, I just HAD to paint him.  Therefore, disclaimer time:  I in no way own the Final Fantasy series.  I'm not particularly fond of disclaimers, but I want to avoid being sued.  :)

Special Techniques:

Skin:

 - A quick note on skin.  The formula for a basic Caucasian, watercolor skin tone is ROSE plus MEDIUM CADMIUM YELLOW.  Phthalo blue, umber, and sienna (among others) can be used to fine tune the tone, but rose and cadmium are the two major ingredients.  

 - Black skin tones have a base of PURPLE and some shade of BROWN.  Again, other colors can be used to fine tune the tone, but these two are the main ingredients.

 - Always test your skin tone before you paint with it!!!  This is a must.  Do NOT, under any circumstances, skip the testing part.

Lips:

 - Lips have highlights, too.  They are not just splotches of red.  They have a huge amount of texture, resulting in defined shading and highlighting.  

 - Make sure to layer when painting lips.  Do not put all the color down at once as you will instantly be dissatisfied with the results.  Layering allows for more thought and texture.

 - I normally use ROSE as the base for my lips tone, with purple shading and sometimes CADMIUM YELLOW for the highlights (very rarely because it can be easily overdone.)

Hair:

 - I do hair in a very unusual way for watercolor.  I have yet to meet someone who practices the same technique.  I paint each strand of hair individually.  It takes several hours to complete, but the end result is beautiful, if done properly.  Use a flat brush, preferably square in shape, and a dry-on-dry technique, meaning both the paper and the paint are dry.  Then carefully paint each strand.

 - Leave highlights!  It saves time, and makes the hair seem more realistic.

 - Shading is a must.  Hair is one of the most colorful parts of a portrait.  It must be treated accordingly.  In one portrait, more than five separate colors can be used just for the hair, not to mention the colors' different shades.

 - Hair does not have to be one color!  In watercolor, a blonde person can have orange, green, blue, or even purple highlights.  But these are only highlights.  Be careful and delicate with your colors.

Clothes:

 - I use a wet-on-wet technique, but several of my art acquaintances use other techniques, including wet-on-dry and even dry-on-dry.  It all depends on your personal preference.

 - For my technique, wet the clothing area, but, before you do this, make sure your colors are mixed!  This is a must!  Then, dab the color in key points to create shading and highlights.  Know where your light source is and use it to your advantage.  Clothing is not flat.  It is rounded and folded and creased!  Remember this!

Traditional Art: Blonde Girl (watercolor)

I finally figured out a way to post my offline work online.  Just snap a photo and stick it in the card reader!  Piece o' cake.  However, promptly after snapping a few shots, my camera died, and I can't find the battery pack. :'(

I can't say this is my best work.  I've done much better.  Her neck is too wide and her facial muscles aren't defined enough.  The main reason I posted this was because of the background.  It is my first time using the technique for a portrait, but I believe it turned out rather well

Since this is my first time posting offline work, I will inform you that every time I post work, I will add a special technique, tip, or mistake that occurred in the making of the piece.  Watercolor is my preferred medium, and I adore it with a passion.  I have been painting watercolor for five years now, and I have improved vastly.  Every once in a while, I might upload older work and give a few tips on what went wrong and how one could improve it.

Special Techniques:

The drip technique, as I have dubbed it, is a technique employing wet-on-wet.  

 - First, make sure to mix all your colors before hand.  The water will dry if you mix after wetting the paper!  

 - After mixing your colors, use the wet-on-wet technique and spread water all over the background.  

 - Next, tilt your canvas upwards.  Make sure to have a paper-towel or other blotting substance ready in case any water drips across your focus.  

 - Then, pick up some pigment with your brush (preferably a square or flat type) and press the brush lightly across the top of the paper.  If you are performing the technique correctly, the pigment will blossom out in to water and rapidly drip down the canvas.  

 - This is where your blotting substance comes in!  Keep a close eye on your focus because it is very easy for the pigment to run across the focus and ruin the picture.  Keep the canvas tilted upwards with one hand, and use the other hand to blot where needed.  

 - Once the pigment has dripped enough for your taste, simply lay the image flat and let it dry.  Do NOT use a hairdryer, because the pigment will move all around and ruin the dripping effect.