I’ve finished the detailed drawing of his eyes which look strange right now because I’ve outlined every large value change. Everything will look better once painted. I’ve also put on the first wash of colour in the background. It will get many layers ending with a greyish colour but I wanted texture and movement I it. Covering the white background makes it less intimidating to start the portrait part.
I think I forgot to mention the size. It’s 16x 20”.
I am joining our local art club for an exhibition in December. It is our clubs 75th anniversary so we decided the theme of the show is “Honouring Our Past”. I decided to paint a portrait of my grandfather who was a geologist at the Hollinger Gold Mine for most of his career.
The most difficult decision was whether to paint this in watercolour or oils. I decided to use watercolour because of the ease of just sitting down to work with minimal effort and quick cleanup. It is also the medium I have used since I started painting. I am still exploring oils and the result might not be what I envisioned.
I started by wrapping watercolour paper (Fabriano Artistico 140 lb) around a primed canvas. The canvas provides extra strength and structure. I drew out his portrait from an old black and white image. I still have a few adjustments to make on the eyes to get them just right. The rest of the face isn’t done in detail. I sketch out enough to get the proportions right and note changes in value that are important. All the rest of the details are added as I paint. I already know the plaid shirt is going to cause some extra thought.
