Serendipity? or fate?

This week's lesson from PYHAS2022 is from artist Julie Lee. Julie and I have a special relationship of which neither of us was aware until recently (and she still isn't but she's about to be): I saw a black and white photo of her online (not labeled) and saved it in my Reference Photos folder as a possible portrait subject; then, in December of last year, I made a painting of her that I called "Substrate Woman" (not yet knowing who she was), because I had created a beautiful abstract background with leftover acrylics and wanted to try painting just the lights and darks of a figure over it, leaving the substrate showing through for the rest of the skin and hair.

I did so, but didn't feel like it was a total success, since the contrasts of the Titanium White and Payne's Grey were a little extreme against my combination of warm browns and yellows. Then I set it aside.

Today, after the absolutely masterful lesson from Julie (painting a self portrait), I wasn't yet ready to do my own, since I want to order a birch panel on which to paint it; so I went back and dragged out my portrait of Julie and, using some of the blending and color placement techniques I observed in her lesson, I got out some Naples Yellow, some Raw Sienna, some primary yellow and a cobalt blue, and a bit of Payne's Grey and did a more painterly layer over the previous portrait, still leaving some substrate showing but doing a better job of accentuating and blending.

Parts of it got a bit smudgy, since I had used a navy blue Stabilo pencil on the original, which smears when you hit it with anything wet. But I managed not to do too much damage there, or else covered it up, and I'm much happier with my result.

I will do my own, using all of Julie's methods and advice, once my birch board arrives. Can't wait! It's a really exciting lesson.

"Julie Lee 2"—pencil, acrylic paints, and Stabilo on 140-lb. coldpress watercolor paper, 9x11 inches.