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:
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.
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