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Paper: 300 lb cold press (Arches)

Colors: Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Red, Burnt Sienna (Utrecth) New Gamboge, Hookers Green (Windsor Newton)

Last summer, after teaching my workshop in Florence, Italy we visited the city of  Lucca,  where a parade of Italian renenactors walked through the streets.  Sorry to say I do not know what time period they were representing, but Lucca is a medieval town complete with walls, moat, and portcullis.  It looked very Game of Thrones-ish, and I took the opportunity to take lots of photographs.

So today I am returning to the portrait which is my most comfortable subject matter to paint.  I liked the character of the man’s face, but I also wanted to capture the feeling of a perfect summer’s day and the light on his white outfit.

This painting went through a lot of changes and layers. I started with an abstract wash in the background which is liked.  I forgot to reserve the white on his hood which made the value too close to the background so I had to repaint the background with a darker wash.  I am representing a clear sunny day so any upward plane has to reflect the blue of the sky.  I had washed in the light areas with burnt sienna which was too warm for the upward planes, which are picking up the blue of the sky.  This is where I discovered the joy of Chinese white.  Just like in oil and pastel, white is a blue opaque color and I brushed it onto the cheekbones, the brow ridge and the top of the hat to cool it off.  I liked the look of the opaque against the transparent colors. 

What I learned:

There is no undo button in watercolor, but Chinese white is the next best thing.

Learning where to stop is especially important in watercolor.

Lucca Renenactor 5x7 in 8x10 white mat.  $75.00- You can click here to purchase.

I am returning to Italy this spring to teach “The Figure in Florence” Nine days of Art and Beauty.  Visit Artensity for more information.