I haven't blogged for a week! I've been so busy with weekend family and school affairs + I've been suffering from seasonal allergies. It's never easy having to deal with cough and colds while trying to get on with the daily grind. But what is life without a few challenges, eh? Anyhow, I'm here again to share with you two portrait studies done on the pages of
this brown paper bag journal that I made last time. I love how this handmade journal turned out. The pages are lighter in tone and they're sturdy enough to take in acrylics and other water-based medium.
Here's the first portrait study that I made:
I was experimenting with skin tones here. I wanted to try beige but I didn't have that color in my acrylic collection. So I used white mixed with warm gray instead. Then I colored her hair with a mix of greenish yellow and olive green. I used Inktense pencils to outline and add details.
And here's the second portrait study:
She's one of those vintage dolls that I like to make. For this portrait, I thought to experiment with acrylics, gelatos, and distress ink. The hair and the dress are mostly acrylics with a little dabbing of distress ink. The face and the background colors are acrylics and gelatos combined. I normally use gelatos toward the end of my painting process as I prefer to use them for adding depth and drama.
Painting on a brown paper bag is almost like painting on toned paper. I enjoy the experience every time, and I love how my creations turn out. I prefer to use acrylics over a gessoed page. However, feel free to experiment with watercolors, charcoal, pastel, and other mediums.