Whimsical portraits are nothing but great fun and childlike playing at doing faces in the easiest way possible, for most. It is seen all over the web these last years since Tamara LaPorte made Willowing an awesome program of doing whimsical art. I took one of my first art course online with her. When you are ready, I would totally encourage you to take some of her classes. Most artists give away free art lessons. She is one. You will be forever grateful for having taken even a year long course with her, but, in the meantime, just take a peak and see what is possible with whimsical faces.
https://www.willowing.org/?affiliates=244
Whimsical art is playful and simply doing art that is happy and colorful and full of Mixed Media.
Mixed Media is when you use everything but the kitchen sink to get marks and color and shapes down. You use different materials to get a piece done. You use pens, watercolors, acrylics, charcoal, collaging, you have it, you can use it all on one page.
Now we have done a face already, you probably look at your face you have done and wonder what’s off? Just remember “half half half half”
I am going to turn this page into a portrait. A whimsical portrait is the easiest to begin with. I have spent years trying to get a realistic face and once in a while it does happen, but I always slip back into doing whimsical faces. Once you know the mathematics of a face, you are good to break all the rules as many artist do. Deb Wiers is probably my favorite. https://www.pinterest.com/allthingsjude/deb-weirs-art/
So on to another blank page that I have scraped some gesso on for ‘tooth’, something for paint to hold on to. Make friends with that blank page by just getting down some marks. The marks we are going to try today are the marks that make a face.
Here is all you need to know about a face, right now.
Draw an oval on your page. The top of the oval is the crown. The bottom of the oval is the chin. Measure approximately half way down the oval and that is where your eyes go. Half way between the eyes and the chin is where the tip of the nose goes. Half way between the tip of the nose and the chin is where the mouth goes. This is a full on face. There, you have the basics. I will add more about ears and hairlines and necks and pupils, different poses and etc. as we go along this month. Right now, we want a basic face.
I used a charcoal pencil. You can use whatever pencil. Try not to erase. Simply use your whole arm to draw an egg shaped oval.
Eyes are at half way of the oval of the face from crown to chin.
Nose is half way between eyes and chin.
Mouth is half way between nose and chin.
Hint: my charcoal pencil is going to become part of the painting. It is okay to have lines here and there showing through to add interest. It does not mean it is going to... just that I have learned to use it to help me get shadows.
1. Think about hairstyle… do not lose your upper crown, but draw some quick strokes to look like hair… it is best to have the hair come down on the forehead and around the eyes a bit so you do not end up with what I call “helmet hair’.
2. Use flesh color to paint all but the whites of eyes and the white ball at the chin. Let the first easy thin layer dry really well (or hairdryer used to dry it… but know that the thicker it is, the longer the inside will take to dry).
3. Lets do something about the background first. You can collage, you can do anything you choose, even plain color, but right now we are going to do some circles, using kids water soluble markers/pens.
4. Choose a few colors that go together. My favorite color is turquoise so I am choosing three blue pens. Maybe only three colors. Then, choose one brighter color that goes with those blues. Keep a paint brush and some water handy because watercolor felt pens can be made to look awesome when you use water to let it puddle a bit. Start by making different kinds of smallish circles, loosely and different sizes, all over your background.
5. Using a small round-tipped brush and a small container of water, wet your brush and then color in all the circles of one color. Clean your brush and paint in the next color….and then the next.
HINT: While the circles are wet, try putting you fingertip pressed into the color.. you will get very interesting circles then.
6. Let some of the circles run colors into another color on a few. Adds interest. And, then, let dry.
7. I noticed the left eye was smaller than the other. I used a charcoal pencil to fix that.
HINT; I am sure you have heard of the Third Eye. Well, on a face, you should have room for three eyes. A left eye, a middle eye socket you won’t see except that the blank space is there, and the right eye. When you draw eyes from now on, make sure you stay conscious of that Third Eye.
8. Now, lets do something with this hair. I want to cover my writing, so I am going to use browns to color the hair. I am using Gouache. Use any paint product you have, though, and you will eventually build up kinds of paint materials as you go along and get more and more into what Art Journaling can be for you.
HINT: Gouache is opaque watercolor, is one type of water paint of natural pigment, water, and a binding agent. Gouache is designed to be opaque (to totally cover with color. Gouache has been used for at least 1200 years. I got my new set at Michael’s on sale for $7.99.
HINT: You only need a tiny tiny drop of gouache to get lots of color. Use a paper plate or a piece of deli paper to put the blobs of colors on because you can save the color even when it is dry. Water activates the gouache when dry, so you will find gouache lasts a long time.
9. Color in a solid color of gouache first, then add other colors to get some depth and texture to the hair.
HINT: paper toweling is your friend. While the hair is wet, lay down a piece of Scott Towel and press lightly to add texture to the hair. Lift and dry.
10. Use a tiny brush and dip into your hair color. Hold the brush at the end and use it loosely. Twist and spin brush and pull down to get some wisps of hair hanging down. Try it a couple of times on scrap paper before you add to painting.
11. Now you might think you have a problem because the hair tendrils came down onto her shirt. Use a bigger, wider brush to paint. Wet the brush, pick up some color, and do a wash over the clothing. Re-add the bottom of the tendrils that come down over the clothing. Use paper toweling to print on the clothing to give it texture. I use this technique a lot. It also allows for some of what is underneath to show through... that is a good thing.
12. Now I am going to switch mediums. I am going to use acrylics on her face. (I will explain more about acrylics tomorrow). Using a flesh color, paint the face and neck in a base color. ***remember to save your palette where you used the gouache. It will, as I said, activate again with water.
I am using flesh, burgundy, white, and burnt sienna. First do the base flesh colour and let dry.
HINT; spritz a tiny bit of water over the paint on your palette. Then, cover with some plastic wrap. This way, you still have your colors to use when the paint on the face is dry.
13. As you work on the face... remember to add some lights on triangle on forehead, down the nose, on the chin. I started just mixing colors until I got dark to light colors. I blended... try to use as little water as possible as you work. You will get better and better at this as you continue on with the art journaling practices. There is dark around the eyes along the sides of the nose, around the frame of the face, and under the chin on the neck., do not expect perfection first time out. You will get better as we layer skills going along this month.
14. Some detail work can be now be done. Whites in the eyes and a bit of charcoal to help make the portrait look less flat. As well, we will be working on the background some more later.
Do not forget to use up leftover paint. Stick it on a page or some other paper of some kind. It becomes coverage of The Blank Page for another page.
How much chatter did your inner nasty voice have while you tried to do all this in one fell swoop? Eventually you learn not to listen to that critical voice that always tries to talk you out of doing something worthwhile. This is new to that Ego/lizard brain/limbic system that I call my “Inner Evil Witch” and she will whine and try to degrade what you are doing. You are experimenting. And the learning curve might be great. Just let your pages be what they choose to be. There are ways to redo much later and to correct things. Fixing is one of our talents. Brave on, sisterfriends!
©Carol Desjarlais 4.6.21
No comments:
Post a Comment