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!