I am currently working on finding a subject for my third multi - canvas painting. So, I decided to take this awkward-in-between place to show two small paintings that I did in my spare time.
These are two watercolor pieces that I did at home. I have very little experience with watercolor, but I've always loved it. The paint is unpredictable and magnificently sneaky. I found the most control when I used slicker paper because I could move the color and dilute it more effectively. I liked the way I could push the color around when making the structure of the face. It's very easy to create bone structure by diluting the color at the highest points of the bone and then by having softer shadows. More generally speaking, watercolor is great for shadow. You don't have to have ten different shades of the same color (as you would have to have with other paints), because you can simply add water. You can also add water that is tinted with a different color, which creates a more unique shadow. Under the cheek bone of the second woman's face, you can see that I shaded her face with red, which is not the color of her skin.
With the first face, I was attempting to capture the features of my friend by exaggerating her eyes and her mouth. I was focusing on the style of my favorite New Yorker cover artist, who uses watercolor and ink. He frequently paints people who are well known, and he makes them recognizable by exaggerating their features in a way that still leaves a layer of the painter's vision while still having the click, in the viewers brain, of who the person is. I also wanted it to look like the blue was enveloping her.
The second face is from the cover of a book. I left half of the face two dimensional to emphasize the drama of the other half. The brown strip along the side stemmed from an accident with her hair, and the blue bow-like object stemmed from my obsession with blue. The drip going down her neck was also a mistake, but I was excited about it because it's another unique benefit of working with watercolor.
Even though you didn't intend for these pieces to be a part of your project, I see some similarities. The way you capture emotion is very similar. I know you have been focusing on full bodies, but is is possible to only paint a face? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteAnnie,
ReplyDeleteYour talent at capturing details, doing so with the "unpredictable and magnificently sneaky" watercolor (love this description so much) is awesome. I'm wondering if you ever set a theme for your collection? You had the political statement with the dancers, the emotion of the elated piece, the interaction with observer and the little boy with chalk paint, and now a very human, emotional element with these faces. What is the common denominator in your mind?