Sandrine Pelissier, AFCA, NWW, SDWS

Painting the Light with Watercolors

Watercolor layering step by step demonstrations :

Laurent





https://sandrinepelissier.wordpress.com




drawing on the watercolor paper This is what my drawing looks like. I used Canson cold press watercolor paper 140 lb and worked from a picture.
yellow layer of watercolor paint This is the first layer. I used Yellow ocher (Da Vinci)and Cadmium Lemon Yellow(Da Vinci) where I needed a brighter yellow.
red layer of watercolour paint This is the second layer, I used a Pinkish warm red (Alizarin crimson, Da Vinci) for most of the parts and some more orange-red (Permanent red light) on places I wanted a more orange color, mostly the right side of the face.
blue layer of watercolour paint On the third layers I used also two different blues, a warmer blue on most of the shades of the face (Ultramarine Rembrandt) and a colder blue on the areas where the light was cold on the face(Prussian blue, Da Vinci) and the hair. Sometimes the painting is closed to a finish result at this stage but this one needs lots of color correction, the neck is way too red, the jacket is all wrong.....
scrubbing off the paint
In the last stage, I adjust colors where I need to do it, I scrub and wash away some paint where I need more light on the face, I soften some edge.For example on this picture I reworked the right eye but not the left yet, we can see a big difference in colors and edges.
finished watercolour picture The final result, after lots of adjustments, I also layered several washes of gouache in the background, living a space between the background and the face that makes an interesting edge.