Jimmy (Finnish Boy in Overalls) • Work in Progress

Jimmy (Finnish Boy in Overalls) • Work in Progress

Drawing and painting people is irresistible to me. All the faces I see tell a story. This painting (in progress) was inspired by an old black and white photograph of a young boy named Jimmy sitting on the tailgate of his grandfather's car. His dog parked in front of him, ready for whatever might happen next.

I was drawn to this photo.

My first drawings were modified blind sketches in ink (one shown). I made adjustments of shape, size, direction, and detail along the way by re-drawing rather than erasing. I added color with Berol Prismacolor pencils. 

I pulled out an eighth sheet of 140 lb. cold press paper, soaked it, towel-rolled it, and drew shapes of this boy with a #8 round brush using Stephen Quiller's watercolor in Cobalt Blue. Then I proceeded to paint with SQ's paint, mixing skin tone along the way. I will paint this young boy again by re-drawing with the brush on paper. 

We artists have been told by other artists before us ("those with finer minds," as Ed Whitney would often say) to "paint what you feel; paint with love; and to paint the apple you must be the apple." For me, it is truly wonderful to draw and paint a subject I love — people. 

As many of your know, I relish painting birch trees too — because they are like figures and family; also apple, basswood, and other blossoms because their petals remind me of a baby's cheek.

Upcoming Watercolor Class • "Fall Color" at the Borealis Art Guild in Hibbing, MN

Here's an ad for my upcoming 4-session class.

DESCRIPTION: Four sessions of watercolor filled with the rich (sometimes neutral and subtle) color of Northern Minnesota's fall season. Class starts Monday, September 18 and continues October 2, 9, and 16 from 1—3:30 pm at the Borealis Art Guild in Hibbing, MN. Painters of all levels are welcome.

Students will explore how to translate nature into shapes — how to view, draw, compose, and paint shapes inspired by Northern Minnesota's fall season — and mix colors that sing (and avoid making mud).

Louise will start each session with a demonstration painting as she explains the "what, how, and why" of watercolor, and work with painters along the way. At the end of each class, students will share thoughts and ideas during a short, gentle, and helpful critique. This class is designed for painters (of all levels) who want to re-charge (and/or keep the charge in) their creative batteries.

To register, please call the Borealis Art Guild at 218-263-8482.

Iris Garden • Watercolor | Mixed Media

I've taken many photos of my irises and my iris garden while the flowers were in full bloom. Now when painting, I try to not copy the photograph but try to interpret / translate and capture the essence of what I see. It's an ongoing challenge and I like it.

During the process, one of my aims was to work in purples and pinks with a counterpoint of light yellow-green; another was to paint iris en masse rather than individually; to use "not good" watercolor paper; and to not worry about the outcome.

I first drew iris of different sizes—as Edgar Whitney described them: Papa, Baby, and Momma-sized shapes. I used a No. 10 round brush, adding color to the three main irises—using various purples, blue-purples, and rose. I added stems in yellow-green. I dried paint using a hair dryer. I wet the background of my "not good," very hard-surfaced paper and went over everything with a transparent Quinacridone Rose. While the painting was wet, I went back in and drew the iris (modified blind contour) with a dark pencil, then added more of the same colors. I brought the photographed image into Photoshop and played with filters.

Since this episode of "playing with paint in mixed media," I've painted other additions to the Iris Garden on 140 lb. Arches Cold Press. I will post new images.

Pink and Purple Iris in Watercolor

Hello, everyone! I've been painting a lot since I did the Seven Paintings in Seven Days but (you know this) I haven't posted since then. Currently, I've been drawing and painting IRIS in my flower garden. Here is one I painted this morning.

Pink-Purple Iris • Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. Cold Press

METHOD: I began by doing a value sketch—2 x 3 inches in size—to establish placement of subject and values. I drew light lines of my subject on the dry paper, I soaked the paper, placed it on the board, sponged excess water out, then painted an abstract underpainting. When some of the water evaporated, I started adding color—positive and negative shapes. I can't wait to start on the next painting . . . then the next . . . Happy painting, my fellow artists and art lovers.

Baby's Hat (Detail of painting) • Seventh Painting in the Seven-Day Challenge

Today's painting is titled "Baby's Hat." The image below shows detail of the full painting. Yesterday, while sifting through my Children's Portrait Reference folder, I came upon a photo of this baby girl. She stole my heart. I took out my sketch book and began drawing my impression of her.

Baby's Hat • Watercolor  •  © Louise Laakso Lundin 2017

The Process: Referring to the photo, I used a 6B pencil and my recycled paper sketchbook to draw her head, hair, face, features, hands, hat. I placed features carefully, aiming to keep her face a "baby face," her cheeks soft, and shadow shapes very light. I followed that up with a color sketch in my multi-media sketchbook, heavier paper.

I drew her onto a piece of Arches 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper, soaked the paper, removed some of the water and began painting wet-in-wet. The color seemed too intense (for a baby) so I scrubbed it out and set the paper to dry (to re-use down the road). I took out a second sheet, re-drew her and began painting "wet-on-dry" (wet washy paint on dry paper). Using a soft No. 10 round brush, I continued working with color and shape, trying to keep in mind the sense of sweetness of this baby.

Before and during this project, I read and re-read notes I'd written down—words by Robert Henri:
"Drawing is not following a line on the model, it is drawing your sense of the thing. Get the sense of a thing by feeling it at the time you work..." aiming to get beauty in color notes as in music.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Wearing Beads II • Sixth Watercolor Portrait in the Series: Seven Paintings in Seven (or more) Days

There's something kind of wonderful about drawing and painting babies and children. Maybe it's their sweet lips, kissable cheeks, huge eyes, wispy hair, innocent expressions... I can't get past painting little people. Not yet.

Wearing Beads II • Watercolor on Arches

This little girl with beads has been on my mind. It's my sixth painting in the painting-a-day challenge.

The Process: I propped up several photos for reference and drew a pencil sketch—lines and soft shadows. The drawing looked good until I viewed it in reverse in the mirror above my painting table. After making corrections and checking it several times, I drew the subject (using pencil) on watercolor paper (Arches 140 lb. Cold Press, 1/8 sheet). Line only. No shadows.

I wet the paper by dipping it in cool water and letting it rest on my board until some of the water evaporated. I mixed very lightly a pale skin tone wash of red-orange-yellow-green (the colors although combined on my palette were still identifiable) and placed a gradated wash over her face and much of her hair. I added more warm color to the cheeks, then let the painting dry (I helped it along with my hair dryer). After re-wetting the painting and letting water evaporate, I began working on hair, shadow shapes, eye sockets. As the paper dried, I added more detail: irises and pupils, brows, nose, lips, beads. I loved watching her emerge. I'm rarely sure when a painting is done.

I often step away from the work, return later to look at it, fix something (of course), leave the painting, return again, repeat the steps. I like this little girl wearing beads. I like her well enough to put the painting in a frame and up on my wall. That's a good sign. It's how I evaluate my work. If I like a painting and want to keep it, I know it's good enough to sell. We each have to be the judge of our own work.

Thank you, friends, art lovers, and fellow painters, for reading my blog.

Sweet Baby James (Fifth Work in the "Seven Paintings in Seven (or more) Days Challenge"

"Sweet Baby James" is the fifth work—a color sketch—in the "Seven Paintings in Seven Days (or more) Challenge." Referring to a pencil sketch, I drew this little man's face and features on the watercolor paper and began painting. His sweet looks and nature were evident in the pencil sketch. Translating what a I saw in the drawing and in my memory onto the watercolor paper was a challenge.

Sweet Baby James

Babies' faces (from birth to about 2 years) are very smooth and round. Only the iris of the eye is fully developed, giving eyes a buttony appearance. A baby's cranium is large in proportion to the face; features—chin to eyebrows occupy only (about) one-fourth of the whole head. Proportions change rapidly as a baby/child grows. Because babies and children move around a lot, it helps to work from photos and/or magazine clippings.

The Process: Referring to the sketch, I used a 6B pencil to draw (lightly) directly onto the watercolor paper—placing the eyes, nose, mouth, head/face, ears, and hair. My paper was 100 lb. weight, an inexpensive wood pulp variety with a smooth finish (not recommended). I worked wet (paint) on dry (paper). Colors—not a typical triad this time—included cadmium red, cadmium yellow, orange, and various greens, among them Veridian. I took a deep breath, picked up a large, soft brush, mixed a light flesh tone wash from the yellow, orange, red, and green, and applied it, watching what happened, and continued on from there. As the face and features took form, I tried to be mindful of balancing the warms and cools (having one dominant); and lights, mid-tones, and darks.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Wearing Beads • Color Sketch (part of Seven Painting Challenge)

"Wearing Beads" (color sketch) represents my fourth painting (forthcoming) in this challenge: Paint Seven Paintings in Seven (or more) Days. Yesterday morning, I began drawing/painting a young man but he'll have to wait. Right now, I can't quite step away from painting little people.

WEARING BEADS • A Color Sketch

The Process: My photo and sketch of this little girl wearing beads was irresistible to me this morning. Limiting myself to 20 minutes, I painted this color sketch in my sketchbook, striving to keep it fresh. The color is over-stated, there are quite a few hard edges but I like a lot of what happened as this little person's face emerged. Sketchbook paper is hard and smooth. Some artists have said it's "unforgiving" (if you try to scrub something out). I will re-draw and re-paint this subject on watercolor paper.

Paint Seven Paintings in Seven (or more) Days

This is my third painting (on the fourth day of the 7-day challenge and not quite done)—"Little Girl in a Yellow Dress." She and  I spent a lot of time together yesterday and again today, first with drawing, then with painting.

Little Girl in Yellow Dress

When drawing/painting babies and young children, construction and proportion of the head are more important than anatomy. Features are smaller in proportion to the skull. It's all to easy for a baby to look like an old man. This is the first painting (I will do several more paintings of this little girl).

The process: While executing this painting (working from a sketch drawn of a photo) I did a lot of erasing of pencil lines, scrubbing out, drying, re-wetting, and re-painting. The Arches 140 lb. cold press paper took the abuse quite well. Because of re-working, the painting may not be as fresh and I'd like. I drew outlines of my subject (onto the Arches) using a No. 2 pencil; I soaked the paper until it was very wet, blotted it and began painting wet-into-wet—using cadmium red, lemon yellow, cerulean blue. The color was too intense for a child's skin so I dried the paper, scrubbed out color, let the paper dry, and went back in using washes of the same colors. I worked from flesh tones to shadows, hair, features, then tightened the painting. It sounds a lot more expedient than it was.

But I adore her sweet little face.

Thank you, friends and fellow painters, for reading my blog.

Paint Seven Paintings in Seven Days • Day #2 • Painting #2

Meet Henri. Meet Henri is my second painting in the challenge: Paint Seven Paintings in Seven Days. Along with painting portraits in watercolor, I set a few more objectives for myself: Paint seven new paintings; Draw and paint people of different ages;  Explore seven different painting procedures; Enjoy the process.

Meet Henri • Watercolor

Edgar Whitney, former instructor at Pratt University (my first professional watercolor workshop instructor and one of my favorites) said the two-fold problem in painting a watercolor portrait is (1) likeness and (2) a fresh sparkling watercolor. To gain a likeness, he painted five or six paintings of the subject. To achieve freshness, flatly refusing "to beat the life out of [his] portraits," he made them in twenty to thirty minutes (each).

The process: Meet Henri was painted using Edgar Whitney's "Dry Method A." Referring to a sketch, I made a charcoal line drawing of Henri's face and features directly onto the watercolor paper. I went over the line with a brush and plain water (to fix the charcoal). I used a 1-1/2 inch flat brush to paint a warm, light-value wash over the entire paper (covering his eyes too). Colors: yellow ochre, cadmium red light, and cobalt blue. While the first wash was wet, I defined larger masses using various combinations of the triad plus burnt sienna. As the paper began to dry, I painted the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, shirt, background.

Did I meet my goals? (1) It's the second painting on Day 2 of the challenge, (2) It's a new painting, (3) I painted a little boy (for a change), (4) I used a different painting procedure, and (5) I enjoyed the process. I loved seeing this little guy's impish face develop on the paper.

Paint Seven Paintings in Seven [or more] Days

Two fellow artists/friends (Margie and Sylvia) challenged me to paint seven paintings in seven [or more] days. I added "or more" because sometimes life takes over and swallows the time I'd set aside for drawing/painting. Here is No. 1 of 7 (or more) titled Model with Blonde Hair I:

Model with Blonde Hair I • Watercolor

I decided my seven paintings will be portraits in watercolor. Edward Betts states that we get clues about our individual painting "strengths and obsessions" by examining what direction we've taken in our work. My sketchbooks are filled with drawings of people, faces, figures. My bins are filled with paintings of the same. Betts states the second step "is to cultivate those strengths, to push the work even farther in its natural direction toward whatever end it seems to be headed." We'll see where painting people in watercolor goes in seven days and beyond.

My process while painting Model with Blonde Hair I: Using a value sketch/drawing of this model as reference, I drew (free-hand) the shape of her face and features on the watercolor paper. In this particular painting, I laid a light cobalt blue wash over the pencil lines and let it dry. I angled my paper upright about 80º then using a flat 1-1/2 inch brush laid washes of yellow, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, and cerulean blue. After this wash dried, I loaded my round brush with mixes of the same colors (triad) and painted a shadow shape on the right side of her face (our right), then painted her eyes, nose, mouth, neck, and hair.

While this is the first of seven that I'm posting, it is my fourth painting of this particular model from the value sketch. I re-drew her free-hand each time. It's interesting to view similarities and differences among the paintings.