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Astudio Lessons  Welcome to my class. Please feel free to ask questions via email:

                                 

Spontaneous Experience in water colour & white.

 

This sweet face belongs to Harmoni and I was drawn to paint her portrait for her first birthday.

The paper used was Canson 33.gms. a lovely surface for detail and a good weight to prevent buckling.

No. 12 and 4 sable brush was my choice.

                                                    

                       

STEP 1. Sketch the features with a Light Red aquarelle pencil.                         STEP 2. A wash of Burnt Sienna was used to establish the shadows.              STEP 3. Golden Red was washed into the hair.                                                   HINT: Try to hold the brush in a relaxed manner as in sample 2.

                            

                                                      
STEP 4. Flesh was painted in for the face tones and the cheek colour,    Vermillion was then placed in, still using the same brush.                                   STEP 5. The eyes were painted in Brown with No 4 brush and the eyelashes were established with a Dark Brown tone.                                                             HINT: Do not paint the individual lashes.                                                              STEP 6. Still using the No 4 brush the mouth is painted with Vermillion. some deeper tones were painted into the hair with Brown plus Burnt Sienna.             STEP 7. Decisions....decisions....I was not sure whether to leave the washes in the free-flowing technique...see sample 3:

                     

                                      

I then decided to apply some Flesh plus White into the lighter areas of the face; this blended the edges of the shadows and formed some middle tones. With a No 4 brush and White I then established the reflected light on the side of the face and some highlights on the cheek, chin, nose and upper lip. The highlights on the lip, tongue and the eyes were painted in with the tip of the brush. 

STEP 8 Golden Brown plus White was used for the highlights of the hair while some Brown indicated darker tones and tendrils. Brown plus Blue was used for the pupils of the eyes, corners of the mouth, and the nostrils. 

STEP 9. Using a No 12 brush I washed White over the background, this gave "tooth" to the paper. I then painted Permanent Green with quick stroke coverage across the paper, taking it up to the hair and the face line. When the background was dry the tendrils of the hair were exaggerated. See sample 4.      

         

 

                               

 

STEP 10. Time for checking and I notice the cheek is just a tiny bit too full so I mix Permant Green plus White and with N0 4 brush I came up to the side of the cheeks and painted in the background. I also took some off the top of the hair.                                                                                                   STEP 11. The shadows were deepened on the side of the face. a Sienna wash was painted over the hair. The Green background was continued to the top and sides of the paper, with a wash of Yellow here and there.        This painting has a spontaneous appearance and that is exactly what I set out to achieve. I hope you enjoy your "Spontaneous Experience" when you use this technique.

                     

 

Lessons in other mediums and subjects are available on CD /DVD. Contact me for a list and prices:          Aileen.

                                                                   

                         LESSONS                                   Portraits in Pastel, Acrylic, Oil , Miniature, W/c    Floral in Pastel, Acrylic, Oil, Miniature, W/c          Landscape in Oil, Pastel, W/c, Pen and Wash    Silk Painting: mainly Floral design  

            Personal critique via email