IRIS IN GRISAILLES (Ooh, that sounds French!)

As promised, here is the version of Iris portrait done in grisailles, or more accurately, brunailles, since the underpainting is burnt sienna.

I chose to do this on hot press paper because I thought it might hold onto the underpainting better. (meaning that the under-paint would not dissolve too much when I put a wet glaze over it.)

I did an underpainting of the values similar to previous grisailles. In areas that would have a pure color, such as the iris of the eye, the lips, and the pinker, fresher skin tones, I did no underpainting. The finished underpainting looked very similar to the monochrome version, with no color added to those areas I mentioned.

Next, I glazed over the face with skin tone base made from raw sienna and magenta (or permanent rose). I wet the entire face and hair areas first, including the lips, then glazed the skin tones. While it was still wet, I added more rose in the cheeks, nose tip, and side of the face.

I was pretty pleased with the results. This is the first time I've tried a watercolor portrait with this method.