watercolor and gouache portrait |

fountain pen, watercolor, and a touch of white gouache on gray toned paper

First of all thanks to the SktchyMuseum app participants who provide their inspired poses for us to draw! I’ve tried to include their names, though sometimes I think they post a picture of someone else that they took. I try different approaches to drawing/painting each one I do, which will be abundantly obvious here. Some are very quick sketches, others take longer, and none are really “finished”, because then I’m sure I would mess them up!

watercolor in field watercolor journal (140lb CP Fluid watercolor paper.

I just felt I owed myself a good watercolor surface to do some wet play on, so I switched to the Fluid watercolor paper which I love and kept it loose and wet, bleeding off edges across lines and charging more pigment into spots before the surface dried.

watercolor, gouache, white gel pen on beige toned paper

You can see the difference here as I went back to the Nova toned paper, which is not really made for those wet watercolor washes. The pigment settles in quickly and creates edges, just a different look.

watercolor, gouache, white gel pen on gray toned paper

Here I’m hardly focused at all on the surface textures, but trying out the idea of a quirky, unfinished or “vignetted” portrait.

And here’s another take on the unfinished theme, less aggressive and jarring.

Pencil, Silver fox ink, a touch of watercolor and no white gouache on gray toned paper

Another unfinished one, more along the lines I’d imagined. The gray paper read as white, so I didn’t add any, and the ink made the most lovely wash on this paper, probably because I told myself not to muck with it, haha!

So if you have a minute I would love to know what is your favorite and which if any gives you the creeps or any other response. All reactions valid and welcome.

I’ve almost filled up my Stillman and Birn Nova sketchbook with the three toned papers: beige, black, and gray. Time to order another I think. The Museum app keeps offering not only these great poses but inspired portrait art from artists all over the world. Have you tried it yet?

gouache and white pencil on black toned paper

Abandoning refinement in the service of drama here. The particles suspended in white gouache make for a chalky surface revealed in all its roughness when painted wetly on a black surface. You have to just let it do its thing and be ready to move on! Next portrait I painted on black though, I dispensed with the white pencil drawing which did not dissolve and could not be erased.

Rick N. is another favorite on the Museum app, willing to offer his visage in the creation of characters like this ? mad magician?

No background or hair or clothing needed here! It was done in minutes. Brilliant pose Roxana!

w/c, white gouache and white gel pen on beige toned paper

By this day I was ready to take my time and try for a bit more refinement.

brush pen, watercolor, white gouache on gray toned paper

This one got a bit out of hand very quickly, drawing with the brush pen!

It’s fun to go in at the end of a portrait with some unexpected color bounce. Really the green is just an exaggeration of what is there. And it works so well with the violet tones.