Lollipop!

Lollipop

6" x 6"

I finished my portrait of Sydney. She is a student at one of the elementary schools where I teach. Her mom gave me a photo to work from. I had in mind a couple of goals that I think I did a pretty good job on. First of all was to be more deliberate with each stroke. I sometimes find my colors getting muddy. One problem is overworking the painting. Color stays true when you just put on one stroke of nice, clean paint...and then leave it be! At times I tend to mix color on top of color to make corrections and then I've got browns and grays. So I've tried to be more thoughtful by studying the color I need, making sure my brush is nice and clean, and putting the paint on the canvas in a more thoughtful manner.

The second goal was to use a little more color in the skin tone. I love the sea-foam green color in her skin. I used purples, pinks, blues, and grays in the shadows. I think the skin looks more lively.

And lastly, I wanted to show my brushstrokes. It's a painting. I want it to look "painterly" rather than photographic.

Portraits are difficult for me and I'm determined to grow in this. And I'm taking this one as a win!