So I had the chance to do a wedding portrait for my cousin's anniversary! (On a bit of an expedited timeline, which was a fun challenge. I drew it on one Sunday afternoon and painted it on another.)
Original photo
Initial drawing
Completed drawing
Initial color blocking for the suit
Thinking *I'll just do her hair while I'm using black...*
Which was a terrible idea, because then I had to avoid getting the black everywhere as I filled in the rest of the painting.
Which was a terrible idea, because then I had to avoid getting the black everywhere as I filled in the rest of the painting.
Background and boutonniere
Showing some skin. (It was pretty yellowy for a moment there; I'm happy with the pinker shade I managed with a careful wash.)
M's face
Hand and dress details. (The original photo doesn't show the rest of the dress on the right, so I had to improvise—not my forte.)
Facial details and hair work. I'm pretty happy with how it came out.
Background details
Detail work with a white gel pen (the single greatest innovation in modern watercolor)
Original photo
Watercolor final
I'm really pleased with all the facial details and how the hair turned out. I didn't quite get the proportions right on A's face, the hand is probably too small, and I didn't quite capture M's smile and eye contact with the camera—so there's always room for improvement. I'm very happy with how it turned out overall, especially considering that it didn't take as much time as most of my previous works.
One of my favorite things about doing portraits of friends and family members is that I feel like I know the person better after staring at them for several hours. As I reproduce their faces, I'm struck by how beautiful they are. And I know I'll never look at them quite the same again.
