The process for this piece was longer than I had anticipated. I found a reference image on Pinterest that allowed me to practice portraiture and color theory with skin. I had always struggled with incorporating colors onto skin; it always ended up muddy and unappealing. I also tend to struggle with getting the likeness of the person I’m sketching into the portrait. So, I started by trying to get the proportions right, sketching out shapes, and blocking in shadows. Then, I went ahead with putting down flat base colors. The technique I like to use for portraiture is called “sculpting”. Like a sculptor, I will take dark colors and “carve” in the shapes of the shadows.

To be continued…