Learning to Paint Watercolor Portraits

The last week in October, I took a wonderful portrait painting class by visiting artist, Jane Paul Angelhart. It was so much fun. I had never tried to paint the likeness of a person in watercolor before and had no idea that I would enjoy doing so.

Jane gave us watercolor paper with sketches printed onto it in a light color. She did demos and talked about what she was doing and then we gave it a try and she walked around and gave us tips. Here are the portraits that I did in the class:

On the last day I started a portrait of my daughter. Below is what I accomplished. I didn't get very far.

The next day, I worked on it a little more. I still had a way to go, but was happy with how it was progressing. I think it captures her likeness and has a freshness.

I haven't had time to paint in the last few weeks. (I was doing jewelry for a craft show.) Today, I finally sat down and worked on this portrait. Here is the finished product.

I learned a lot painting this. First of all, the photo that I used isn't the best. You could not see the eye detail very well and it was extremely difficult to see what was the tip of the nose and what was the shadow. The lighting is not ideal for the method we learned in class. Here is the reference photo:

Secondly, in class, Jane taught to layer many, many washes. She encouraged us to use the class to see how far you can push the layers before you go too far. Parts of this painting fall into that category. I also kept changing the background color and it ended up being a very somber dark color that I didn't think matched the smiling portrait. I ended up scrubbing off a lot of paint and putting a brighter color. It helped a bit, but the paper I was using is not of high quality and was starting to pill everywhere I scrubbed.

I definitely need more practice, but I am enjoying the process!

In Maria's Garden

Pink Coneflowers

Watercolor

4" X 6"

SOLD

My friend Maria is a portrait painter. Early in the summer, my daughter sat for her as a model. I was mesmerized by her lovely flowers by the driveway. So, technically, I provided her inspiration for a painting and she provided mine!

Home Portraits

Obviously, I knew that artists often paint houses for clients. I had never thought to call them "home portraits" until I heard the term used last year. In some ways, I think it is an apt description. Our homes are special places. I often think I should do a painting of each "home" that we have had as a couple/family, but now that we are in number twelve, it is a daunting thought...perhaps someday. Very soon, I will start another home portrait. I'm excited about that. Ages ago, I thought my dream job would be architectural rendering. This is perhaps, even better.

Above is a home portrait that I painted for a local artisan who wanted to use it for her website. I had not met her and I did not know where the house was until I delivered the finished piece, but when she told me, I knew immediately which house she was speaking of. I had been curious about that house ever since I first saw it, because I have an affinity for stone.

Hetty is a lovely lady. She is a fiber artist and she also does furniture refinishing and painting. Visit stoneHOUSE workshop and look at her work. Contact her with a project. Leave a comment. Bloggers love comments.

Cornflower Blues

Something Blue

Watercolor

4" X 6"

$50

Click Here to Purchase

In early June, I began to notice these blue flowers blooming in the medians. I wanted to take photos of them, but with all of the end of year school activities and such, I kept putting it off. The linger I waited, the more I admired the color. It was the exact shade of my childhood "cornflower blue" Crayola blue crayon. Which, incidentally, always disappointed me when I put it to paper. The lovely color barely showed up.

When we pulled out of town for a road trip at the end of June, I thought to myself that I had likely missed my chance at photographing them. I was certain that they would be finished blooming when we returned home weeks later.

Imagine my surprise when I found them as pretty as ever upon my return! I think I took the photos the same day.

It turns out that they are the flower of the Chicory plant. It likes to grow on the roadsides because it loves sunshine and heat. Apparently, the deer love to eat the leaves in the Fall. I sure hope they don't eat it out of the medians.

Preparing for the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I am making every effort to set myself up for success. I'm very excited and motivated right now and can't wait to start painting, but it will be much easier if I am duly prepared.

It was suggested that a theme be chosen for the paintings you intend to do. In January, when I did the challenge for the first time, my subject matter was all over the place. I didn't mind that, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to rein it in a bit. I have decided to call my paintings,

"On My Walk..."

I suppose this could have a variety of connotations, including a religious one, but I'm using it in a more literal sense. In good weather, I like to walk. Sometimes, I walk for fitness. Sometimes, the fitness aspect is just a nice benefit of the activity itself. I usually walk by myself. I like to stop a LOT to take photos when I am walking, as evidenced by the number of times my Nike+ app says "pausing workout." I digress...

The subject matter of my paintings will be many flowers, plants, and a few animals that I have run across as I walk along. The majority of the photos are from walks here in Virginia, but a few from other places have been included. I won't share the photos at this point, but they have all been put into a folder:

(As you can see, the folder includes 33 images. My thought is that some of the images that I have chosen my fail to move me on the day that I get to them, so I will have a few extra to choose from.)

Each day, I will paint a 4" X 6" watercolor. I will post it here on my blog and add it to my website, where it will be available for purchase for $50, which includes tax and shipping. I have a surprise planned at the end of the month for one lucky person who follows my progress. I will reveal the details in a few weeks on Facebook and here on my blog. If you are too curious and would like to know the details sooner, be sure you have signed up for my monthly newsletter, because those loyal fans will find out how it is going to work before anyone else. If you are not yet signed up, do so before midnight on August 31st to receive the September issue! CLICK HERE

Wish me luck! I hope you have fun watching me paint!

Free Art, Would You Like Some?

Have you heard of Free Art Friday? There may be a group near you. FAF is a worldwide movement to give away artwork in public places, started by My Dog Sighs in Bristol, UK. (I might have a heart attack if I came across one of his cans!!)  In August, I decided to start a Free Art Friday Group in Northern Virginia. (DC has a group, but sadly, I don't get there all that often.)

This was my first art drop. I like to post a picture of where I left it as a clue. Of course, when I started we/I had no followers, so  there was no real reason do it, except to give future participants the idea. I sometimes post a photo of the artwork by itself:

My Free Art Friday pieces are a little more street art-like than other things I do. I took a few things to the group in Albuquerque, including a "crossing guard" sculpture that just happened to end up with a real crossing guard. Hmmmm. 

The group in Albuquerque is flourishing in part because of the enthusiasm of Stephanie Galloway.

We had coffee and I learned that she just happened to grow up as the neighbor of another friend of mine that I met in 2009 or so. Crazy, small world...

Back in NoVA (Northern Virginia, if you haven't spent time here), I continued dropping pieces over the fall:

Along the way, Jessica Kallista started "dropping art" and others here and there. Bryan Jernigan has been consistent lately, while I have not. It's great to see something happen each week. Anyone is welcomed to participate. Sometimes we hear from the person who finds it. More often than not, we don't, but that is okay. It adds to the mystery!

There is a group in Atlanta, if you live there. There are no groups in the state of Alabama, at least on the FAF list. I would love to see one in Birmingham, my friends. ;)

My Process for Watercolor Painting

Invariably, when I say I am an artist, I am asked what medium I work in. "Watercolor" often elicits comments of, "Oh, watercolor is hard." I don't find it difficult, so I thought I would share my process:


1. Take an intriguing photo. This one is of the Pope Leighey House in Alexandria, VA. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is an example of Usonian architecture.





2. Convert the photo into a line drawing. "Back in the day" I used to photocopy it over and over lighter and darker until I got the result I wanted. Now, I use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Each photo is different, but typically, I adjust the lighting to increase middle contrast, convert to black and white (adjusting each color to my liking), then apply a filter (Find Edges is my favorite).


3. I like to paint on very heavy, very rough watercolor paper that does not have to be stretched. I use a soft lead to measure the border and tape it off with masking tape or painter's tape. Then, I project the image onto the paper. I do not try to acurately render the image, but prefer to draw interesting shapes based on the image.



4. My favorite part! Start painting. I start with a wet brush and wet the whole shape that I want to fill in. Then, I pick up the color with the brush and feed it into the wet shape. I do not use any masking fluids or frisket.





5. As the image becomes more complete, I try to use each color to draw the eye across and around within the painting. Each shape is next to a contrasting color or a white space. If colors next to each other are similar, then I want them to read as one mass.




6. Once I "think" the painting is finished, I remove the tape and view the painting from across the room. Especially if the tape is blue or green, it may look completely different. I often need to add a few more dark areas to strengthen the composition. Done!