Third and last...for now

Yes, she looks familiar. Yes, this is the third time I have attempted to paint Mary McLeod Bethune. It will be the last...for a while, anyway.

Although I enjoyed the medium (gesso) and the texture on the first one, there was something not right about the angle at which I painted her face. Her eyes were at the 3/4, while her nose and mouth were looking more forward.

I was happy with the second one in terms of colors and blending, and the angle was also better; but it looked like what someone would do if you said to them, "I need a portrait of M. M. Bethune, but it's to hang on the wall at a bank, and we want her to look young and dynamic, even though your reference photo is from her old age, so see what you can do about cleaning up the wrinkles, and make her look a little thinner too, wouldja?" It was a nice picture, but not a good portrait.

So, for the third one, I decided to A. go directly to drawing in ink, and B. go with a more monochromatic color palette so I could concentrate more on lights and darks and textures.

I am happiest with this one: The eyes, nose, and mouth are at last all facing in the same general direction, I got the wrinkles and folds and slightly droopy cheeks between the ink and cobalt watercolor...but I again underestimated the sheer width of her face and maybe the height of her forehead too, and the hair came out poofier than it was in life. And it still doesn't quite capture the world weariness of the photo.

Since I have not one, not two, but three portrait challenges a day for the next week until Olga Furman's is over, I'm letting Mary go for now. Maybe I'll try her again someday and finally manage to do her full justice.

"MaryMB3"—Daler Rowney inks (background), Uniball pen, Paul Jackson watercolors, white gesso, on 140-lb. Fluid coldpress watercolor paper, approx. 8.35 inches square.