50 Watercolor artist | APRIL 2020
O
ver the course of my long career
in fi ne art, I’ve painted just about
every possible subject matter. As
a gardener, I’ve especially found joy
in painting the beauty and delicacy
of fl owers. In capturing the hard
and soft edges of fl ower petals, I’ve
learned the techniques I now use to
paint faces. Th e soft light and color
transitions on a fl ower petal are the same as those on a
person’s cheek. Th e hard-edged shadows on both also are
similar. Ultimately, I decided to focus on people as painting
subjects, because I feel the most engaged and excited when
I’m depicting a human fi gure or face.
All the hours I’ve spent over the years studying photo-
graphic references have helped me to develop an eye for
fi gurative work. Artists know that the more we study and
try to discern value and color changes in all their minutia,
the more we learn to see our subjects more clearly. Many
of my students say that they don’t see colors like I do, but
when I point out a warm area of color and then ask them
to look at a cooler or bluer area, they can see it. Th eir eyes
have been opened.FRIENDLY COMPETITION
I always strive to be the best watercolorist that I can be. One
of the ways that I’ve improved my portraits and fi gures is by
studying oil paintings. As a mostly self-taught artist, my
studies include browsing paintings online or at shows and
museums. With watercolor as my medium, I’ve been chal-
lenging myself to paint with the smooth, creamy appearance
of oil. In the past, I’ve been frustrated when the texture of
the paper looks uneven or has small spots of darker color.
To combat these issues, I work wet-into-wet and also use
glazes and drybrush techniques. I fi nd that using staining
paints allows me to layer washes without moving the fi rst
coat. Of course, using staining paints means that it’s harder
to lift the paint if I change my mind or need a highlight.SMOOTH IT OVER
Most watercolor painters have experienced the problem
of overworking the paper. Often, it’s only a small section,
and—many years ago—I started experimenting with using
white paint to fi x it. I had completed a portrait of a soldier
from a black-and-white photo, but the client told me that
the uniform was actually a diff erent color. I wasn’t going to
scrap my painting, so I dampened and lifted as much color