Today is my niece's birthday! I have been meaning to do a watercolor painting for her like I did for her older sister, K (see K's ocean painting). I let J choose from two of my favorite photos of her, and this is the one she chose. After I sketched it out one evening (while listening to Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul), I gathered my supplies to begin the painting process (which took all of Captain Marvel and some of Endgame the next day, if we measure time by movies).
The paintbrush and watercolor set is at least 13 years old, and I've supplemented it over the years with other art kits and supplies I've been given. (Someday, if I ever get to be a real artist, maybe I'll be picky enough to buy my own supplies and get higher-quality materials. But, as our favorite Ranger said, "It is not this day.")
I decided to actually study a little bit of watercolor technique this time, using the book featured in the first photo. So I experimented with leaving more areas blank and having lighter washes. I think it worked out decently well.
This was the "ghost children" phase, as Eliza called it.
My cheap watercolor sets don't offer amazing options for skin tone, and I've generally avoided painting people full-on anyway (it's amazing how far you'll go outside of your comfort zone to please a soon-to-be-three-year-old). So I'm not thrilled, but I'm satisfied with how this stage turned out. There are a couple of frustrating things I could point out. I'd rather not immortalize them, but I'm thinking of them.
A fun comparison and a little insight to how I'm working on it.
Here's where I added the masking liquid. It's a kind of glue that prevents the watercolor paint from adhering to certain areas, and then you can remove it when you're done.
Finishing the painting. (It was maybe a little ambitious to choose such a wet, reflective scene, but there you go.)
Removing the masking liquid.
Finished product (photo taken with a MUCH higher quality camera).
Original photo (a screenshot from the video below)
Original video
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