Using lighter washes, block in the lighter values of the face, leaving the lightest areas untouched. This is especially important when laying down light washes, as they can pull in dark pigment from an earlier wash and become muddy. Tip: It is important to let each layer of washes dry completely before laying down any new wash that might come in contact with a previous wash. Don’t worry that these washes aren’t as dark as they could be you will have a chance to darken them more later. It helps to squint your eyes while looking at your subject to help isolate the dark values. Avoid using black, but instead, combine Burnt Umber and dark blue for anything exceptionally dark. Step 2:īlock in the darkest values first using dark washes. You’re going to be working from general to specific and the details will come later, so use a big round or flat brush, not a small rigger or liner for these washes. Pay close attention to the dark and light shapes in the head and face rather than the finer details. Step 1:ĭraw out the subject lightly in a hard pencil, such as a 4H. If you are painting from a photograph, it can be useful to transfer your image using a grid. I’ve cropped this photo down from a “landscape” format to include just my subject’s head and shoulders, and to match the dimensions of my paper.
Knowing how much of your subject you will be painting will make things much easier down the road. Whether you’re painting from a photograph or from life, it helps to establish your composition first. To start painting anything in watercolor requires a little planning and patience. But if you do it right, painting a portrait in watercolor can yield amazing results! Here are some tips and tricks to get you started. Watercolor is notorious for being unforgiving, so much so that many folks would never attempt a portrait in this tricky medium. “There is a look, or composition, or feeling that comes over me…and I know it needs to be painted.” Their enigmatic expressions are hard to pin down to one emotion.Īli Cavanaugh: Website | Instagram | Patreon My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Ali Cavanaugh.We all know painting a portrait is a challenge, but the idea of painting a portrait in watercolor can be downright intimidating. “Certain moments jump out to me and those are times that inspire me to paint,” she tells My Modern Met. Cavanaugh's watercolor portraits depict people that are a part of her life. She turned to watercolor painting after many years of working in oil paints. Artist Ali Cavanaugh creates expressive watercolor portrait paintings of introspective subjects. You can purchase original paintings and signed prints via the artist's website, and keep up to date with her latest work by following Cavanaugh on Instagram. Scroll down to see more of Cavanaugh's amazing watercolor art. And since we can't determine what the figures are thinking, they make us reflect on ourselves and how these pensive, gauzy worlds make us feel. Their enigmatic expressions are hard to pin down to one emotion. “There is a look, or composition, or feeling that comes over me…and I know it needs to be painted.” Each subject floats in a delicately-made composition, shrouded with layers of pale, translucent colors. “Certain moments jump out to me and those are times that inspire me to paint,” she continues.
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