watercolour portrait (5 x 7 in.) not for sale

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24 May finds me commemorating the recent first birthday of a dear little friend - with a portrait in watercolour. This painting is not for sale because it was done as a birthday present.

This portrait is my second try. Both reference photos were taken by me, but the first one was 3/4 view of the face. I worked first in pencil but never got to painting it. The finished pencil portrait is a good likeness of the photo, but not instantly recognizable as the person!  This is often a problem in portraiture - the angle chosen does not adequately present the character.

So I began again from my front view photo, which had not been chosen initially because of its very solemn expression.  I was finished in only a couple of hours and am pleased to recognize my little friend at a glance!


I used Canson watercolour paper that is mounted on paper board, like illustration board, and the surface was pleasantly forgiving. The watercolour lifted off nicely where I wanted to lighten it, and it accepted very fine detail as well. There is a slight rippling of the surface, which holds wet washes nicely - altogether a lovely paper.

Comments

  1. Kay L. DaviesJune 14, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    What a little sweetie, Aleta. I'm sure he'll treasure it forever.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

    ReplyDelete

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