Free Watercolor Lessons & Techniques

Painting in Watercolor: Alyssa's Portrait

By Margaret Crowley-Kiggins, FWS

Step Four :  At this point I am ready to paint some detail in the facial area. I mix a darker skin tone and shape the face. I pay very close attention to the eyes, because this is the area people most identify with so they have to be accurately rendered.

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Step Five:  I mix some cadmium red light and permanent rose and paint her lips.  I continue to bring out her features with successive layers of skin tone color.  I also add detail to her hair- thinking of it in terms of "chunks" of color- not individual strands.

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Step Six:  Now I begin to paint in the background so that I can use some of that deep color to draw around her, bringing her into the immediate foreground. 

painting in watercolor alyssa's portrait

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