Sustained Water Colour Portrait Painting - Method explained

in GEMS4 years ago

Hi everyone today I would like to share a watercolor self portrait I did using the same steps explained in my previous post


This exercise is designed to practice what I've learned into a portrait study. I didn't have someone who would sit the time needed for this long study so I used a mirror and painted myself.

IMG_20200320_013532242.jpg

I do not have photos of the painting process however I have some quick 1 minute sketches from before I did it. This was to warm up and become familiar with the proportions of the face.
IMG_20200320_013518293.jpg

As mentioned in my previous post I used a limited pallette of three water colours: burnt umber, yellow ochre and black. This is so there is a focus on light, shading and the form before colours are involved. If I used more colors I would have used a little blue to offset the color yellow for the skin tone.

I also began from light to dark. Using the yellow as a base and brown for the darker parts of the face the light did not reach. I mixed some black with the brown to create the darkest tones. It's important not to use pure black as that is rarely seen in nature.
IMG_20200320_013532242.jpg
The process took about 1-2 hours to do and it was done over spare wallpaper.
I found the key for this exercise is patience. It's very easy to rush to produce something quick with the colours you have. But carefully observing the variety of tones, darks and lights makes all the difference in the final result. If you're an aspiring artist I would encourage you to try this exercise in future.


Thanks for stopping by and for all of your support! :)

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@iansart Excellent technique in your art.

Thanks :)

That's looks good. A bit of a background, and you might call it a finished painting. I will try your suggestion with the limited palette.

Thanks, yes I think it's useful in the beginning stages of learning how to paint as it's a close way of replicating how you would draw. :)