Another week where I only managed a little sketchbook play. I was trying to get back to portraits and played with the concepts of using grisaille, limited palette and layering—all while choosing pthalo blue as part of my triad. I started with this and strongly disliked it...until the next day when, suddenly, it grew on me.
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| 8" x 5.5" approx. |
So I tried it again, this time with a young face and the added challenge of keeping the youngster from looking like a 40-year old. I went in a bit heavy on the colors and missed the fresh-faced glow of youth, but there are still things about this I like.
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| 8" x 5.5" approx. |
Oh, and the triad is: pthalo blue, yellow ochre and pyrolle orange.
I like her better than I did in class. I like her a lot actually. I think she is angry, or possibly wary. A Mona Lisa frown. As for that kid he is up to no damn good.
ReplyDeleteVery intriguing. She could come right out of Marvel.
ReplyDeleteAny drawing involved? Taking a portrait class at Old Town…but the drawing gas me paralyzed. Tiurs are wonderfully loose. Now you’ve got me itching for pyrolle orange!
ReplyDeleteNo drawing involved, Greeta. These are all direct watercolor. That pyrolle orange is beautiful and vibrant--and strong enough to hold up to the pthalo blue!
DeletePyrolle is Daniel Smith?
DeleteYes it is.
DeleteThese. Are both lovely. Do you sketch with the yellow ochre and then build up yr shading? The boy looks more defined than the face. I just wonder if you used the same process on both.
ReplyDeleteSlightly different process. The first one, I went in with really light pthalo blue, finished it as a faint monochrome and added color (lightly) the next day. The second one, I sketched edges with yellow ochre; then went in with blue, then orange and yellow (stronger and more immediately). Hope that made sense.
DeleteNo, wait. Actually, I didn't draw with yellow ochre at all. Started with blue on both but more sketching on the second and more painting shadows on the first.
DeleteWell, she is more beautiful because she just seems to appear slowly out of the surface of the paper the more you gaze at her. A serene, hypnotic countenance. He is quick, intense and a little devilish. Interesting how you achieved such differing characters using the same 3 colors with the same approach of direct painting. Very cool.
ReplyDelete