Saturday, February 07, 2009

Portrait completed

Two - finished
9 x 12 coloured pencil

I knuckled down and completed this portrait over the last couple of days. There wasn't a lot in terms of updates that I could provide as it was mostly layering skin tones and refining shapes as I went along.

I will leave it for a couple of days to see if anything jumps out at me that needs adjustment. After that it gets a light spray of fixative, then sent off to its new home.

There are always lessons learned with each portrait that I do. For this, it was achieving that pale colouring without it looking too much like a chocolate box painting. The other lesson is in choosing the paper colour wisely. Too pale and the drawing fades into the colour, too dark and it impacts the skin tones. I choose a sand colour and it was too close to her colouring, so I added some contrast with purple and pink. As well it added some texture that helped bring her forward and not compete with the smooth skin.

Jan, from Pets to Posies was so kind as to give me an award! It always thrills me when someone thinks of me in this way. Thank you Jan! Big hug!

In return, I am supposed to name 7 things that I love.

1. I love my family and friends who are scattered across the country and the world.
2. I love coffee - anytime.
3. I love having the house all to myself.
4. I love napping on weekends.
5. I love lying in bed, reading.
6. I love twilight.
7. I love watching the ocean waves roar in on a stormy day.

9 comments:

Gina Cuff said...

This is really lovely, Jeanette. You nailed the skin tones. Very soft...

Anita said...

So sweet - the hair is wonderful.

RH Carpenter said...

I so admire anyone who can use colored pencil, especially when you get results like this - pale, pink, beautiful skintones and hair. I'll be back again now that I've found your blog...
- Rhonda

Jo Castillo said...

Jeanette, she is lovely and sweet. Nice job!

Jeanette Jobson said...

Thanks Gina. I had a vested interest in making in work ;)

I loved drawing her hair Anita. Oh to have hair like that...

Thank you for visiting and your kind words Rhonda.

Jo, I think she's rather special too, but then again, I am biased. :) Thanks for your comments.

Rose Welty said...

Such a wonderful gift you are giving her...drawings of herself by her grandmother...despite your early questions about the paper, you really pulled it off.

Robyn Sinclair said...

Wonderful! I too find the hair particularly brilliant. Lovely portrait, Jeanette!

Teresa Mallen said...

This is such a beautiful piece Jeanette! Just breathtaking, from her pose, to your composition, to your excellent drawing to your lovely colours. What comes to my mind is that this work is like a valuable gem stone - a precious jewel. What an incredible gift to give.

Jeanette Jobson said...

I'd like to do a portrait of her every year to see the changes as she grows. The legacy and the visual aspect are both appealing.

Robyn, that silky smooth hair that babies have is amazing and that pale blonde colour was such fun to do.

Teresa, when I was a child, a friend of mine had a portrait done of her and would spend hours admiring it, wishing I'd had one of me. I hope that my grand daughter will have something to keep to mark her stages in life and something tangible from me as well.