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Day 28

Paper: Ampersand Aquaboard

Paint: Ultramarine Blue, Quinacridone Red, Cobalt Teal, Aureolin, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Lemon Yellow, Chinese White

Today was all about refining a watercolor.  That is my happy place with any painting and not something I have done during this challenge.  Mostly I have been dashing off a watercolor, exploring new approaches, usually going a bit too far in the painting then repeating the next day.  With this particular painting I wanted to take my time and really see how I could use watercolor to fully develop a portrait.  Based on a video lesson with Mario Robinson, I began with a monochromatic underpainting, the second day I laid in layers of thin color washes, then yesterday I went full value and rich color. 

Today I focused on edges and texture and had a very good time.  Because this is Aquaboard I can lift out lights pretty easily which I did with a damp brush. I gently laid a clear wash of water over some of the shadows to soften the transitions of color and half tones. I wanted the painting to be good composition and not just a portrait on a board so I washed and rewashed the background and the clothing.  In the light I added layers of yellow green and violet to create a feeling of illumination and depth then added violet along the left side of the head to give a sense of shadow. 

I really enjoyed adding the texture and felt that it took the painting to it's final finish.  I used a broad synthetic flat brush to wash in a final glaze of the background and found I liked the linear marks it left behind.  I ran the same brush over her shirt and through parts of her hair.  For a final touch I added lemon yellow onto a frayed brush and gently described the edge of the hair.  I may be partial, because the model is my daughter, but I was happy with how the portrait came out.

Here is a close up of the face.

What I learned,

A thin wash of clear water will soften an edge with out disturbing the painting underneath.

Texture is an important part of the finished watercolor.  The rough textures really help the smooth passages glow.

Really thin washes of transparent color are a wonderful way to create delicate color changes, just pay attention to the edge and be ready with a clean brush to soften where you stop.