We are beginning a 6-week concentration on portraits. This will not necessarily be DRAWING portraits, but painting them in watercolor. However, we will be covering a bit about drawing just to understand the structure and how it could be painted.
This week is mostly introduction and instruction on the first project: an Andy Warhol style portrait using the app Notanizer. The app is only about $2 for either android or apple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpj6nPluM3I&t=258s
Start with a photo that you would like to paint. Adjust the 3-level areas until you are happy with the result. (adjust by using the slide at the bottom) You can also try 4 levels. Print out the result the size you want it to be, especially if you are tracing. Make adjustments as needed. You don't want a lot of details or jagged edges, and if an important area was lost, use a marker to draw it in. Eliminate unimportant parts, like background or over-fussy areas. The Notan is a starting point, and it's up to you to refine the drawing.
Trace the markings onto watercolor paper.
Decide which colors you want to be light, medium, or dark values. You can make it monochrome, but it's fun to come up with color combinations. Generally, colors in light values are yellows, but if you paint wet enough, they can be any color.
I often paint the entire face first in my light value, no matter what. After it dries, I paint the other two values in the medium value color, right over the light value. Then I paint the dark value color over that in the areas I want dark.
Here's an example:
Carol L's photo:
Photo changed and adjusted in Notanizer, 3 values.
I also printed out the black and white for later reference.
Here is the picture transferred to watercolor paper. Note some changes.
Here is my first value layer. (Some choose to leave this white) I used yellow.
You can use a pale shade of any color, warm works best.
Here is my second value layer painted with green over the first.
Third value layer painted in Prussian blue.
PRACTICE FOR PAINTING SKIN TONES
There are several skills we are going to work on throughout this six weeks.
One is creating skin tones. Another is going to be softening edges.
You can use this pattern or just use squares or circles for this.
Choose two colors for the basic skin tone; for example, raw sienna and coral.
Then choose two more colors, one that would cool off the mixture; one that would warm it.
you can choose blues, greens, violets for cooling; oranges (esp burnt orange) and reds to warm it.
In one area, lay down the skin tone base. One one edge use a cool color to the wet paint; on the other edge use a warm color to warm it up.
One the one beside it, paint the skin tone base and let it dry... after it is DRY, glaze over it with a cool color, then on the other side, glaze with a warm color.
Do this experiment with different skin bases and different cools and warms. Try to replicate several skin tones, both light and dark.
Here is one of my blogs on flesh tones:
Here are some youtubes that describe ways to mix flesh tones. There are so many ways, and you will find one that feels good to you.
Emily Olson: 6 min video on color mixing for skin tones
Jane-Beata
13 min video using 3 colors only
Bucciarelli - 16 min - the first 10 discuss mixing
Mind of Watercolor - 21 min.
