Painting WatercolorPortraits Kathy Jurek
Thanks for joining me as I demonstrate the techniques I use to paint watercolor portraits. I ve been enthralled with the medium and painting watercolor portraits for almost 20 years and I enjoy sharing what I ve learned. It takes a little perseverance and practice to master portraiture but that s the same with all mediums. You have to think about what you re going to do before each step. One of the most important lessons I continue to learn is to lay down your paint and then resist the tempation to go back in and stir things up! It almost always looks different and likely better than you thought it would after it dries. For this demonstration, I m assuming that you have a basic understanding of working with watercolor, but if not, maybe I will entice you to try my favorite medium?
Note: I randomly painted strokes of gesso on my paper before painting this portrait of my friend, Dave.
What colors should I use to paint with? This is a personal choice because as long as you have an understanding of what the different types of watercolor pigments do (transparent, opaque, staining) along with how values help you to model a form, you can choose from many. Feel free to substitute colors if you like. I prefer Winsor & Newton Artists Watercolors and the colors I generally use for portraits are: New Gamboge Raw Sienna Permanent Alizarin Crimson * Scarlet Lake Burnt Sienna * Raw Umber * Burnt Umber * (or use Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine Blue) Cobalt Blue Ultramarine Blue Cerulean Blue Permanent Sap Green *I think Winsor & Newton is the best for these colors. Other Supplies 140 lb. cold press Arches or Winsor & Newton (use 100% cotton rag for the best results) Use brushes big enough to pull your initial washes quickly depending on the size of your paper My samples are approximately 7 x 10 inches (13 x 25 cm) so I used: #4, #6, #8 round (Joe Miller Signature Series 50/50) 1/2 inch flat for hair (Golden Taklon) Value Scale (very important) Scrap of paper to test your colors Hair Dryer Towel to blot brushes Water container + Palette Prepare your drawing Draw or trace your subject onto tracing paper making sure that you put guidelines in where the shadows and cast shadows are. (See next page.) Use your preferred method to transfer it to your watercolor paper. I make my own graphite transfer paper by covering a sheet of tracing paper with 2B or 4B pencil. Tape the edges to prevent tearing. It will last a long time. I don t recommend purchased transfer paper because you can t erase the lines very well.
Understanding Value and Color Temperature
Understanding Value to Model Form Values are what gives your subject the illusion of 3 dimensions. Value is more important than color. It doesn t matter what color you use, as long as you get the values correct, your subject will look three dimensional. If a painting isn t working, this is the first thing you should consider. B A D D C E A B C D E Lit by sun (very light) The SHADOW side is 40% darker than the local color of the surface If the skin is fair (value 1-2) then the shadow will be 40% darker (value 4-5) If the skin is dark (value 2-3) then the shadow will be 40% darker (value 6-7) CAST SHADOWS are darker though you don t need to mix it that dark. When you paint the cast shadow it will mix with the shadow color underneath. You can usually use the same value you mixed for the shadow. Test on a scrap if you re unsure. REFLECTED LIGHT shows up in the shadows of your subject. It doesn t show up in the cast shadow though. If you look closely, you can see a value change at the top of the cheek, Above the eye and at the edges of the cheek, chin and neck. CREVICE DARKS (tiny bits of dark that add the final contrast needed to make your subject pop (corners of eyes, mouth, nostrils, ear, the edge between chin and neck)
Understanding Color on Surface Planes The temperature of the color changes on a surface depending on which way it faces. Crevices are warm darks Vertical planes are warm. Horizontal planes are cool. (The top of the head in shadow, for example, reflects the sky.) At the edge of light and shadow, the color becomes cooler as the surface turns away from the sun. A D E E B C F E A B C D E F Vertical planes are warm (receiving sunlight) Horizontal planes are cool (reflect the sky) Shadows are 40% darker than the local color of the surface you re painting Cast shadows are darker than regular shadows (by 20% or so) Reflected light shows up in shadows (Example: the color cast from clothing or one you choose to add where you know reflected light is or should be) Crevice darks (tiny bits of very dark warm color that help to model the form, corner of eyes, mouth, nostrils, ear, neck)
Demonstration 1
Fair Skinned Boy Paint a flat wash of skin color. I used Alizarin Crimson and New Gamboge on the pinkish side mixed to a value of 2. Let dry or dry with hair dryer. You can use other reds and yellows for the initial base color taking into consideration the value and if their skin is warm or cool. I ve used Cadmium yellow, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Permanent Rose, Scarlet Lake, Cadmium Red, Winsor Red, etc.) For fair skin, you can use many of the above combinations. Paint the shadow side 40% darker than first wash In this example, the shadow side is a value 5. It s a little intimidating at first but think of it as a base layer. It s going to be several colors mingling together. It will look a LOT different after it dries and you add more paint later to model the face. This is the step where you stop and think about what you re going to paint because you need to work quickly enough so the paint doesn t dry before you re finished. So look at your reference and see where the shadow is and where the color temperature changes and where you want to add reflected color (around eyes, edge of cheek turned away from sun.) The cooler color is at the top of the forehead and where the bone is close to the skin (bridge of nose). First, mix several puddles of paint, paint them on a scrap of paper, dry them and check the values. I mixed:
Burnt Sienna + Permanent Alizarin Crimson (mixed to a value of 5 when dry) Alizarin Crimson + A tiny bit of cobalt or ultramarine to make red purple (mixed to value of 5 when dry) New Gamboge watered down so it s not too intense I paint everything at the same time so the edges will blur. I started at the left edge of the shadow with the red purple mix. When I get to the next area where I want to change color, I rinse my brush and pick up the new color, paint, rinse brush and pick up next color. (You can also use more than one brush, but I m not that coordinated.) I started with the Perm. Alizarin Crimson + Cobalt at the upper left of the forehead and pulled is down, then I switched to Burnt Sienna + Permanent Alizarin Crimson. When I got to the eye, I rinsed out my brush and painted the New Gamboge, then switched back to Burnt Sienna + Perm. Alizarin Crimson and then finished the left cheek with a stroke of New Gamboge along the jaw line. If you re quick enough you can blot your brush and lightly go over the left edge to blur it a little. If your paint has already started to dry on that edge, it s best to wait to do it later.let everything dry. Don t go back in and try to blend or stir up paint with your brush because it has probably already started to dry and you will make a mess. It might look dark right now, but it will dry lighter. Cool Reflected light Warm
Paint Cast Shadows & Hair This is a more controlled step. You can go slower and work on different planes of the face. On the sunlit side, it you have places to model, you ll probably want to water your Burnt Sienna + Perm. Alizarin Crimson down to a value 2 of 3. On this painting, I m leaving the sunlit side as it is and modeling the features in the shadow side so I ll be painting cast shadows using the same value 5 mixtures. Painted on top of my current shadow they should be darker. I mixed two puddles a 60% value Burnt Sienna + Perm. Alizarin Crimson and Perm. Alizarin Crimson + Cobalt Blue You can prewet edges before you put the paint down like around the cheek. (A) You will also notice in the cast shadow under the right eye that the color is darker near the corner. I pulled out the color with clear water. (B) I painted the neck in the same way I painted the face. I painted Burnt Sienna + Perm. Alizarin Crimson with a bit of blue to cool it, then stroked some cobalt along the left edge of the neck (our right) and then New Gamboge on the right sunlit side of the neck (our left). Do everything at the same time while it s wet but don t go back into where you ve already painted. Just let the colors mingle on the paper. The hair is painted using the 1/2 flat blush. Use fresh, thick paint from the tube onto prewet paper. When you use the fresh paint onto damp paper, the colors with blend softly but won t spread all over the place. You prewet the paper with a light wash of color or plain water. Here, I used a light wash of new gamboge over most of it, some of the red/ purple and then blotted my brush. I turned my brush (see inset) and stroked fresh, thick raw sienna, raw umber and burnt sienna where the hair is dark. You can stroke these colors on top of each other. You will get some nice blends (for the darks in blondes & darker hair, adding cobalt makes a nice highlight as well as neutral gray.) B Hold your brush like this to paint strokes of hair. A C
Detail - Eye, Nose, Mouth
Finishing the Portrait Finish by strengthening any areas that you didn t get dark enough the first time. Try to aim to get the values right the first time because the less you have to work the paper, the fresher your watercolor will look. If you need to make corrections, it helps to prewet the area and float the color on to prevent wear and tear on the paper. If your edges look too sharp, you can scrub over them lightly with a damp brush. Alternately you can paint a wash of clean water over the entire figure and let it dry. I painted the shirt paying more attention to value than the actual folds in the shirt and I exaggerated where the light hits.
Demonstration 2
Bahamian Girl This little girl s skin is darker in color, but you use the same principles of value contrast as in the previous illustration.
Initial Wash Since she s in sun and her face has a lot of highlights I kept my initial wash light in a value 2-3 but I used a richer yellow (Raw Sienna). I could ve also started with Raw Umber or Burnt Sienna plus Permanent Alizarin Crimson as long as you get the value light enough. Here I used Raw Sienna, Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna. As you can see in the reference photo, there is a lot of color in her face so rather than painting a flat wash, I placed some of my color where I saw reflected light and let the paint mix on the paper. Don t be afraid to mix up separate puddles of red and yellow and let them mix on the paper. That is fun.
Paint the shadow side 40% darker than first wash The initial wash was 2-3 so the shadow is going to be at a value 6 or 7. I don t want to be darker than this or my cast shadows won t show. I mixed puddles of: Perm. Alizarin Crimson + Burnt Sienna Burnt Umber + Perm. Alizarin Crimson + A small amount of Ultramarine to cool it Ultramarine + A small amount of Perm. Alizarin Crimson Raw Sienna Permanent Alizarin Crimson Cerulean Blue New Gamboge Paying attention to the general colors on the reference photo, I painted in the shadow side with lots of reflected color. Across the top of the forehead, I put a little water down on the edge of the shadow then painted Perm. Aliz Crimson, Raw Sienna, Ultramarine + Perm. Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue, Let the colors mix on the paper. Dampen the edge Perm. Aliz. Crimson Raw Sienna Ultramarine + Perm. Aliz. Crimson Cerulean Blue New Gamboge New Gamboge Burnt Sienna + Perm. Alizarin Crimson
Paint Cast Shadows, Neck & Hair I started painting the cast shadows around her nose and mouth. Do it a section at a time to help maintain control. The cast shadows aren t flat valued shapes. You will want to pull the color away with a little bit of water. Paint the hair with light underwashes of color to prewet the area and then blot your brush and use fresh tube paint to model the hair. I used a rigger brush to make the wispy strands. You can let it dry and then rewet and add more color. (You can also use payne s gray and pthalo blue to paint very dark hair.) Paint cast shadows separately Paint separately Add some new gamboge under nose for reflected light
I rewet the forehead and strengthened some of the color. I painted the arm wet in wet avoiding the highlight on her shoulder. The color on top of her arm is less water and more paint to maintain the correct value and prevent it from spreading too much.
Modeling features and facial planes I outlined the eyes with Burnt Umber, Permanent Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine. Paint a thin light line of cobalt blue over the top of the eyeball under the lid to make it recede, then let it dry. Paint the iris similar to the hair. Dampen the iris with a light burnt umber, dry your brush and then use fresh paint to drop in darker areas (Burnt Umber + Ultramarine Blue). You can let this dry and go back in to tweak if necessary. Just rewet and paint because you want the eyes to be watery looking without hard edges. If you lose the highlight, after it dries, you can lift it out with an Exacto knife or paint it in with white or try to lift it out.
Finishing Up I painted the pink tank top in one wash of Permanent Rose making it lighter in places where the sun hits the front. After that dried, I painted the shadow on her shoulder 40% darker than the shirt. I dropped in some Cerulean at the top for reflected light (sky color). I painted the cast shadow on her shoulder after the shadow on her tank top had dried. I used Burnt Umber + Perm. Alizarin Crimson with a touch of Ultramarine Blue. I thought her forehead was a little too colorful so I wet the area where it was really blue and put a wash of the Burnt Umber + Perm. Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue over it. If your edges are too sharp, you can always paint clear water over the whole face and let it dry. You can also use a flat brush or stiffer oil painting brush to lightly scrub edges. The trick is letting things dry before you go back and make more adjustments.
Figures
Arms, hands, legs, feet are all painted in the same manner as the face.
My Thoughts on Applying These Principles to Illustration You can bend the rules Use similar colors for skin tones Simplify the layers of paint that you apply- light, medium, dark Use brighter colors for children s illustration Use reflected light to zing some color in(new Gamboge, Cobalt Blue, Permanent Rose) Mix darks instead of reaching for Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna Crevice darks in pencil, ink or paint will add dimension to your illustrations Colors used in this illustration: New Gamboge, Permanent Rose, Cobalt Blue, Pthalo Green, Burnt Sienna (hair), Raw Umber)
My first introduction to portrait painting came from a book written by Jan Kunz and my style has been strongly influenced by her techniques. However, I have absorbed useful information from other watercolor painters. Below are some of the books that I recommend to those interested in watercolor portraiture. Painting Vibrant Children s Portraits by Roberta Carter Clark Painting Portraits that Glow by Jan Kunz Painting Watercolor Portraits by Al Stine Capturing the Magic of Children in Your Paintings by Jessica Zemsky Connect with me on: Facebook Twitter My Blog www.kathyjurek.com