This painting was a shower gift to a very dear friend. Working on it was pure joy. Dad’s sweater and shirt collar are not in proper perspective. Even though the fingers are too long, I do love the hands. Babies skin tones are too dirty, but I like the faces of Mom and dad.

Portraits require a lot of layering and mixing wet on the paper. My favorite pigments for skin tone are Azo Yellow Medium, Perylene Maroon, Quinacradone Rose, Cobalt Blue and Winsor Violet (for shadows).

This painting is done on Arches 140 lb, hot pressed paper. This was my first time using hot pressed for a portrait and I really loved it. It was much easier to keep the skin velvety and touchable.

The technique used in the background is a fun one that I learned from Ingrid E. Albrecht AWS, NWS WHS. You’ll need a Soft Rubber Brayer and some smooth paper towel. Apply your pigment to the area being painted. Let it dry a little while you wad up some paper towel. Squeeze it tight so you get lots of hard wrinkles and texture in the paper, then open it up. While your pigment is still damp, place the paper towel on top and then roll the rubber brayer over it, applying a lot of pressure. You will achieve a texture similar to using plastic wrap, but softer and more subtle.

Two photos were combined to get the composition right for this painting. The portrait photo had the baby looking down with her face was not visible. I wanted her looking up as her mommy. So, another photo of the child was used to sketch her in.

A portrait coupon or gift certificate is a wonderful gift to give as a baby shower gift. And then, if you are feeling really generous, you could include a gift certificate for framing 🙂

You can purchase a gift certificate from my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/YourWatercolorMemory