kikoeart on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/kikoeart/art/Watercolor-Experimenting-Portrait-649411565kikoeart

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Watercolor Experimenting Portrait

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Description

I've never been good with color so please forgive the over saturated (waay too much paint on the paper) colors...but I wanted to upload it to get feed back cause I really need it! 

Please feel free to be frank! I love how watercolors look but can't get it right yet.

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1000x757px 1.43 MB
© 2016 - 2024 kikoeart
Comments30
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paddedpaws's avatar
Hi there, I'm with ProjectComment

First of all, I want to say that you've got a great understanding of the anatomy of the human face. The features are all well shaped and well proportioned. I really like the way you've highlighted the front of the face in yellow, so it looks as if it is being lit from the front. However, the front of the nose is darker than the side of the nostril, which isn't consistent with front lighting. Another point for improvement is that the spot on her face with most contrast is the light patch on her cheekbone. In a face, you usually want to make the eyes the focal point.

A technique that may help is to paint the light colours first. And then slowly layer on the darker colours. Water colour isn't a very forgiving medium, so this can help you have more control. To avoid bleeding, wait until the first layer of paint has dried, before adding the next layer. It looks most of the colour bleeding in this piece is intentional, and I enjoy how it adds to the dreamlike feeling of the image. However, in those small features, like the eyes and nose, you probably want a more precise look.

I notice that you have Used much more pale colours for the background than the face, and that's a good choice to keep the attention on the face. The contrast between the outline of the face and the pale area right next to it is especially good.

You mentioned that you struggle with colour. You might find it helpful to just play with your colours a bit, and see how they mix. This blog post suggests creating your own colour wheel at home as an exercise: emptyeasel.com/2014/05/08/why-… There are also many other posts I found helpful on that website: emptyeasel.com/art-tutorials/c…

I have to applaud you for stretching yourself and trying something new. Challenging yourself will always help you grow as an artist. I hope you keep working with this medium. :-)