ADDING A FISH?

 Almost finished but I’m going to try to add a clownfish in her hair - we’ll see if it works or not.  Just experimenting, anyway.

STARTING ANOTHER?

 

Just the first layers on this one.  Love her hair and hope I can keep it that free and loose.  

I’m thinking I might take the Skechy challenge of painting a portrait every day in October but that seems like a lot of pressure to get it all done…maybe I’ll just do one every other day?  Or continue on my own with Domestika lessons helping me.  (I did sign up for 3 more Domestika courses and the one on birds is really fun and full of information although her pronunciation of gouache bothers me every time she says it! ha ha

It is wash with a g in front of it = gwash

She pronounces it goo-wash.  But maybe that’s her regional accent?  Sarah Stokes is her name and she’s a good, informative teacher.  I know these courses are not for someone who’s been painting in watercolor for years but it does kickstart me when I’m in a slump - and I always learn some little thing that’s new.  

FINAL PARROT FISH GIRL

 

Added a bit and put in the background (wanted it to be like sea kelp).

PRETTY GIRL STAGE 2

 Bringing in more color and shape and the Parrot Fish to give her a little fish kiss. 

Now I have to slow down and take it easy, looking more than painting, as I finish her skin and hair and decide on the background colors.

PRETTY GIRL STAGE 1

 Started another portrait (from a free photo site).  This one is on Arches rough140# cold press block.  A lot more to bring her to life and add a fish (I have one in mind). 

PRETTY BOY INTO A MERMAN

 

 

Yeah, I turned hm into a merman.  The little seahorse was added with gouache.  

PRETTY BOY 2

 

Adding that dark hair and eyebrows (like feathers!) really changed it up a lot.  It amazes me how much one strong dark color changes everything.

I’m not that unhappy with it but still wish I’d left it at the first version before continuing to work on it.  Oh, well.  Maybe there is a lesson there that I should quit before I think it’s finished?

I think I’ll get out some dry media not and do a few touch-ups and move on to the next thing.  

I like Arthur Braud’s teaching style a lot and will look to see if he has any other courses through Domestika.com.  

PRETTY BOY

 

Another portrait course through Domestika.com - this time the artist teaching is Arthur Braud and I like his style and his teaching ability.  This is the first few layers of this pretty boy and I added some of my own touches (made the tattoos star-shaped instead of flowers and added an earring).  I wish I had stopped at this stage but I needed to go on to “finish” it.  I could have left it at this stage and called him a merman!

YOUNGER GRANDDAUGHTER

 

Before the background is added, she looks very red, but I think it’s done except for a dark background which might change the look.  

Yep.  Toned down the ruddiness (she does have very pink cheeks).  Giving you a kiss! 

STILL TRYING

 

I am enjoying the 3rd Domestika.com online course on watercolor portraits.  All 3 artists I’ve watched so far have different ways of working in watercolor, mostly they are illustrators so they paint lightly, pale colors, layering to get the look they want, and not against using any medium to get there after starting in watercolor - mostly watercolor pencils, graphite pencils, charcoal, colored pencils, etc.  I like the freedome that gives me to get the final result closer to what I want without saying, “Well, I ruined that one so start over”. 

This girl started as a regular portrait and then I decided I wanted her eyes to be very green and match with her hair (which, I admit, looks more like a scarf than hair because I made it too one-dimensional).  The course then goes to PhotoShop to add “motifs” to the painting after scanning it in.  I don’t have that program so…just painted the little seahorse in gouache over the top.  

Now, I need to catch up on my blogger buddies’ posts - I am behind due to this course, watching the US Open Tennis tournament in NYC (on t.v.), and some family health issues.  Will catch up soon, I promise.  

PORTRAIT LESSONS

 A second online course through Domestika. com is by Ale Casanova, also a portrait painting course.  Not as much information as the first one, but still learning things.  Ale paints by lightly painting an underlayer over the portrait and building up the color and shape.  Again, too heavy-handed so the color was too intense right away.  Not sure I will ever learn to have a very light touch with watercolor or drawing.

I had to lift a lot of color from this one to sculpt the shapes (and still left that nose wonky!