I haven't been feeling particularly well in the past few days. I felt like I hit a roadblock or something, and unable to finish things I started, be it a task for work or a painting. I am getting so impatient and hyper-meticulous about many things.
One time, I thought, "Oh, sod off, negative self." I picked up the phone, swiped through Pinterest, and found a very pretty portrait photograph. I felt like practice will get me going again, so I painted the reference.
Red
What I liked most about the reference was how I thought it was the kind of face that I would have really loved to illustrate. When I was in high school, I could easily draw some people when they asked. When I decided to draw one of my best friends as a gift, I couldn't draw her.
Back then, I realized that there are faces to me that are so distinct and sharp; they were the kind that I liked to draw. Then there are face like that of my best friend's, which was mellow, soft, and rather difficult to replicate in an illustration.
Drawing Red
I went back to what I was used to doing: soft painting. I didn't use any hard brushes and went with watercolor brush (both normal and wet) all throughout. I blend like I usually would; color picker+brush opacity+pen pressure.
Going back to how I usually paint was relieving. I didn't have to be so hard on myself.
Initially, I intended to time myself. I wanted to see how fast I could go in completing this. I managed to do a 60-minute mark one, where I finished the right eye and partially the other, when I stopped. When I continued from where I left off, I completely forgot I had a timing project in mind and just painted. xD
If I were asked what my favorite part of the whole thing was, of course it was the face. I love painting faces, a reason why I stuck with portraits. I have become less conscious about adding in freckles, which I personally love!
Below is a quick GIF of the my progress shots. Enjoy! :)
Notes
I am in a very positive and happy mood today! I received great news in the morning, and the positivity just carried on to throughout the day. You can read more about it in a post I wrote on Noise.cash. (If you aren't there yet, consider joining, maybe? Haha. I sometimes post some of the things I am currently working on in there, sometimes even personal. Stuff I never share anywhere else.)
See you again next time! Hopefully in my next NFT. Chz.
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