Wednesday, September 7, 2022

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.  

6 comments:

laura said...

Love all the greens! And the way her skin tone is made warmer by them. Great job!

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Beautiful mermaid! I think she is watching the seahorse like we watch birds... such a happy painting.

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Laura and Lisa. I appreciate you sticking in while I try to learn these techniques :)

Debbie Nolan said...

Rhonda it looks like you are out of your slump. What a great job with the portraits. That is something I do not do well and so admire you doing this online course. Hope things are better and you are finding your muse. Hugs!

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Debbie. I try but don’t seem to get that much better, maybe I just don’t know how to relax into it but I would love to be a better portrait artist - although I will never give upon my birds and flowers :).

RH Carpenter said...

Jennifer, I touched the wrong part of the screen and deleted your comment but I did get it. Not sure green will ever be a favorite of minebut it does seem to be creeping into my paintings!