Lush greenery still under snow.
I hunger for lush greenery while another Arctic blast of winter keeps us in winter’s clutches, refusing to give way to spring.
The tender green shoots that need to be kissed by sunshine are buried, for now, under dirty patches of snow.
Is it any surprise then, that green is the dominant colour in this portrait?
I used graphite XL blocks, Faber Castell pastel pencils, pan pastels, Conte de Paris Sanguine pencil, and charcoal pencil.
I am not exactly happy with Jade as she did give me a good fight all the way, but I persisted.
First Weekend Challenge
I painted Jade for a recently started weekend challenge organized by artists Olga Furman, Renata Loree, and Annie Hamman.
Every Friday, a new, short challenge is posted and anyone who wishes to participate can use the image and the free tutorial to paint a portrait that is as close to the reference as possible.
There are few “rules” but I have broken one of them already. Oops! I spent about three hours painting this portrait when the suggested time limit was no more than an hour.
I had three false starts.
All were in charcoal and all started off too dark for my liking.
I probably can still save this one on the left.
The other two were destroyed. I rarely destroy anything on canvas because I can always paint over the disaster; however, it isn’t easy to save art that has gone off the rails on paper.
With each class or tutorial I follow, there is a corresponding Facebook group where participants share photos of their efforts. I enjoy seeing everyone’s interpretations.
Finally, I am posting the original photo used for this week’s challenge. It reminds me of Charlotte, my first vintage portrait. I have not added Jade to my vintage category because in my interpretation, she doesn't remind me of anyone from the past.
You are always welcome to share my work on social media sites or to leave your thoughts in the comment box below on this blog post.
I appreciate any and all feedback! Cheers!
I find that some drawings/paintings of faces do come easier than others. I think Jade is stunningly beautiful, Louise! 💚 Her green eyes are striking and she seems a bit sassy to me… I like her spunk! 😊
Thanks Jill. I think that is the reason that I didn’t include her in my vintage category. She has a bit of “edge” that seems too modern to me!
I like Jade and understand the inspiration behind her. Glad to see you are painting through the storms. Take good care.
Thank you Christine. Stormy days are the best ones for cocooning and getting lots of art work done. Cheers!