A new school

I am so often annoyed by all the advertising crap that pops up in my Facebook feed, most of it directly related to some random remark I made that results in my being bombarded with weight loss formulas or expensive pajamas or whatever. But an ad for Etchr Studio art school displayed a watercolor so enticing that I went to their website and ended up registering for three mini workshops. And what they interpret as a mini workshop seems pretty generous to me: For six dollars, I was treated to a 90-minute stroke-by-stroke narrative by the artist (Fiona Di Pinto, a lovely Italian lady) on how she paints a portrait, and was able, thanks to the advance delivery of the reference photo for me to draw, to follow along and try it for myself.

I have been painting portraits in both watercolor and acrylics for a while now, but the looseness to which I aspire graces me only infrequently; I more often than not end up over-blending and coming up with something that is blander and less risky than I would like. But I think that going along with this as Fiona painted it, in the order and with the colors she used, is going to have an effect on future work; additionally, she gave a few small tips that were so simple but so revelatory that I can't believe I never figured them out for myself.

We painted this entire thing, except for the detail work (which was done with a fine rigger brush) with a Silver Black Velvet #12, a brush that holds a lot of water. Previous to this I have avoided using it for much of anything but background washes, preferring the control of my Escoda Prado synthetic brushes, which maintain a perfect point and don't overwhelm you with wetness. But after this experience, I'm game to keep on with the looser, wetter brush to see if I can improve and gravitate towards the spontaneous feel that I'm seeking.

"Fiona"—pencil and watercolor on Fluid 140-lb. coldpress watercolor paper, 9x12 inches.

I lost the plot on this one a bit on the eyes and also on the nose, simply because I'm not used to having to wait so long for things to dry before going back into them; I had to lift the eyes a couple of times and rework them, so they became a little dark and teary; and I got carried away with the shadow on the side of the nose and overwhelmed it a bit. But even with those caveats, I am so pleased with what I learned in this workshop! And in three days' time the recording of it will be delivered to my inbox for me to keep, so I can even go back and review.

Etchr is my new favorite school! They have master classes that are more expensive, but even then the price range is so reasonable that I wouldn't hesitate to sign up. But for now, I have two more six-dollar experiences coming up in the next 30 days, about which I will report back!