From Black and White to Color ...and What I Learned Along the Way

From Black and White to Color ...and What I Learned Along the Way

Helen in Chimenea (pencil and ink on paper)

These are photos of a couple of sketches that went from preliminary drawings to final ink  and watercolor paintings.     

The sweet kitty pictured here is Helen, who belongs to a friend of mine.  What a cozy hideaway she found in this chimenea!

Helen in Chimenea (ink and some watercolor)

Helen in Chimenea (closer to the finish line)

Helen in Chimenea (final version)

In painting this portrait of Helen, I learned that it's helpful when painting a pet to have them in a contrasting background.  In order to get Helen's face to pop, I had to change the color of the inside of the chimenea from the original black to this blue.  Artistic license I suppose? I also had a little trouble getting the shadow under Helen's chin to look realistic.  Will keep working on this!

The sketches and painting below are of a little girl whose photo I found on Sktchy. 

(Ink on paper)

I used only ink to sketch her and realized early on that I'd made her face too big in places.  So I "cheated" a little by using my black pen lines to create more background contrast than I had originally intended.  I ended up being happy using that method  to get more of the look I wanted.

(Ink and Watercolor - in process)

(Ink and Watercolor - the final version)