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Paper: Aquaboard, Ampersand

Pigments: Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna

A monochromatic underpainting in watercolor?  That's a thing????  I was so excited this morning when I came across Mario Robinson's online course called " Painting Realistic Watercolors".  I have long been a fan of this young man's figurative work and when I read the course description I had to have it right away.  What intrigued me was an approach to watercolor that was balanced careful planning of drawing, values, form and color while respecting the unpredictable nature of the medium.  It is the best instruction I have watched on how to manipulate the medium and when to leave it alone.  I plan on building my last two portraits for this challenge using his approach.  I did an underpainting of my daughter on Aqua board using a very thin wash of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.  I began covering all the lights then adding layers of the wash for the midtones and darks.   The wash is very light and as you see the image is barely there but it is a map for me to follow tomorrow when I apply color.  I worked on the Aquaboard because I know changes are easier to make than stretched Arches cold press paper.  I am hoping the Aquaboard gives me the experience and courage to tackle the large version of the study I did yesterday called Page Turner.

 Here is a link to the website: http://www.craftsy.com/classes/art-and-photo?currentPage=4&filterMap={}

Here is Mario Robinson's website if you are in the mood to drool over some beautiful paintings, Mario Robinson Fine Art