Watercolour Portrait of Zahrah . . .

"Zahrah"
Watercolour on Arches
© Stephie Butler

It's been a slow start to 2015 for me painting wise, but I managed to get back to it and put the finish touches on this one today. I'm so fortunate to have a beautiful granddaughter as a subject. I've painting her a few times now and feel with each one I get nearer to capturing her personality, I have to say I think this is my best and my favourite.

This started out as a demo for a student towards the end of last year and this shows it after the initial wash and an added touch to the eyes.

Next stage was adding more layers and building it up gently. On such a young child with a sweet expression you need to keep it soft.











If you would like to learn how to paint like this, come join me on a paintiing holiday in France. All abilities welcome and don't worry if you are a beginner as everyones receives lots of one to one help and advice during the workshops.

For details contact Drew & Bix at  www.francepaintingholiday.com 

Ken Bromley Cover Competition . . . Time to vote

TIME TO VOTE . . . You said it was your favourite painting so I entered it into the Ken Bromley cover competition. Well I'm thrilled to say I made the shortlist..
You can vote here for your three favourite paintings. 
http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/covercomp/

Please vote and share

This was painted from a photograph I took of my beautiful granddaughter Zahrah. She has gorgeous bundles of curls so I could play with all the twists and turns I saw in it. You don't always need to paint every strand but just enough to show the viewer what you are seeing. 

Some photos I took along the way....



The drawing ready and masking put into the eye. I don't always do this but as I wanted to spend time experimenting on other things I didn't want to loose concentration there resulting on no highlight. You can of course go back it with Acrylic, Goauche and many other products, but then we couldn't call it watercolour, could we? ..... it is also never the same effect as leaving the white of the paper. 

This is generally how I start most paintings and a style I have developed over the years, where by I paint with water. I don't was large areas as some artists do but instead draw with my brush as if it were a pencil, with clean water only.

 Time to add some paint with light washes at first.

Have added some colour to the eyes. I generally have to get most of the eyes done first, If they don't work then the portrait has no soul.

A close up of the eyes at this stage, still more to do but gives me enough to know that it's worth carrying on with.

Now time to add some more colour to the hair, but painting this section slowly and building it in different tone and colour. 

Here I called it done. I loved trying out different colours in the hair, using colour as tone in the depths of the curls. 




Please take time to vote in the competition, there are many amazing artists there to choose from, each with their own style.