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.