Watercolor Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Meet Bertha

Watercolors 

I couldn't sleep last night so I went into my home art studio at 1:30 a.m.  I sketched this pretty lady.  Today after book binding class I was excited to get her painted.  I seem to be painting a lot of beautiful ladies so I am going to be naming them.  After all, I love these ladies!

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Beautiful Ladies 

So instructor first wanted us to do our painting in soft pastels.  Below is the results.  I really like this lady.  She is very beautiful!

Once the soft pastel drawing was COMPLETELY FINISHED, the instructor told us to get water, a couple of paint brushes and to open our GESSO!!!  What??? Are you serious?  What does Gesso have to do with soft pastel paintings? 

Below is the completed results of using watered down Gesso.  I was nervous about using the Gesso full strength.  In this process, you dramatically overdo the intital lay down of colors, as the second stage will bring them back to a softer look.  The instructor was hoping that we would use a "painterly style" to build volume and leave visible brushstrokes.  I do have some visible brushstrokes although they may be hard to see in this photo.  

The painterly brushstrokes are pleasing because it leaves something to the viewer's imagination and we can see the hand of the artist more plainly.  Painting in this style is fun beause it allows for the implusive use of color and an unrestrained painting manner!

Too. Much. Fun.!

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Very beautiful lady and the way she is tilting her head to the side.  A new view to draw from  I am stepping out of my comfort zone with this.  I usually just do front/straight ahead portraits.  

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Loving my soft pastels!  Loving this lady.  Look at how all her features, her mouth, her eyes, her check bones are all so soft looking!  One of my favorite Beautiful Ladies!

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Twiggy (from the 60's) look alike - maybe.  

I love learning new techniques with my soft pastels and my pastel pencils.  

Pastel Painting - Beautiful Ladies

Getting back into my soft pastels and just absolutely loving the results.  Trying to learn how to paint pretty - no, no, - beautiful ladies!

So this one is actually darker than painted because I sprayed it with permanent fixative hoping that the pastels would not fade out.  Unfortunately the fixative makes the painting darker than originally painted.  I later read in the Pastel Journal never, never, ever use fixatives . . . . I think that may have just been a personal opinion because later I read yeah, use them . . . . just saying.