WATERCOLOR FOR PORTRAIT

My prefer medium for portrait is watercolor with it's subtle expressive potential for modeling the features with many thin layers of glazes. I'm lavishing extraordinary care on this project. But I'm ambivalent about portrait painting. I like the challenge of capturing a likeness, but painting should not mean slavishly copying a photo. Let's see how I feel tomorrow?

MADONNA & CHILD

With tons of sketchbooks full of ideas, it takes a bit of serendipity to actually decide on a new project for 2015. My best friend's daughter just had a beautiful boy. It's special enough for me to sit down & start doodling. Borrowing from a classic theme, I'm approaching this Madonna & Child with more structure than my informal impressionistic works. 

Been refining the composition in a series of sketches. I use parallel strokes & cross hatching to add more life to this quiet study. With my aging eyesight, I wonder if I can still do figure painting.

MADONNA & CHILD

Well, started this MADONNA & CHILD sketch before the baby is born. Baby Aiden is now 3 months old, thought I better work on baby Jesus before baby goes to college.