How to paint a portrait with watercolor and gouache
April 7, 2010 2025-02-05 15:56How to paint a portrait with watercolor and gouache

How to paint a portrait with watercolor and gouache
- Mixed media on paper (Watercolor and gouache)
- Paper: Arches hot press 140 lb, stretched
- 15 x 22 inches
Step by Step watercolor and gouache portrait painting tutorial : They keep me company

After my drawing is done, I start to apply a first layer of yellow (Da Vinci Ochre). I leave the background as it is for now. Because I am using only a few colors in my layering I focus a lot on edge quality.Yellows are usually layered first because they are generally less transparent than most of the reds and blues.

The second layer is done with 2 reds, Alizarin Crimson (Da Vinci), a pinkish red, and Permanent Red light(Rembrandt), a more orange red. When layering I use most of the time two shades of the same color, one on the cool side, one on the warm side.

Here I am working on the background. I use the watercolor in a much more fluid and less controled way than I would do on the face.

They keep me company, watercolor and gouache on paper
This is the finished painting, I added some blues: the warm Ultramarine(Da Vinci) and the cooler Prussian blue (Da Vinci). At that stage I start some color correction with some tertiary colors (browns, oranges and purple) from my Yarka pan watercolor set. I added some blue on the background as well as a layer of gouache. I left on purpose a tiny edge with the red outlining showing.
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Yarka St. Petersburg Professional Watercolor PansSame palette of traditional colors the great masters used a century ago. Liquid-poured means semi-moist pans respond instantly to a wet brush. 24 pans in plastic case. Also individual pans. – Master Set |
Comments (2)
Susanne
Great information on using warm and cool reds, among other techniques that you use! Thanks!
Sandrine Pelissier
Thanks Suzanne!