Saxophone Player Portrait with Vinita Pappas (Watercolor)
This is a tutorial on a very complex figurative piece of artwork by artist Vinita Pappas. The painting is a portrait of a saxophone player.
The artist begins by creating a loose and abstract background around the figure. The artist uses her planning sketch and a reference photo as guidelines. She approaches the painting by building up several layers for each section, keeping in mind the values.
The artist wants to demonstrate how relaxed you can be even when painting something complex and challenging.
In this lesson you will learn:
- How to create a loose abstract background in a figurative painting
- How to plan a painting using reference photos and planning sketches
- How to choose color schemes for a painting
- How to paint around light areas without using masking fluid
- How to build up several layers for a more detailed painting
- How to approach a complicated painting by attacking it from different sides
- How to create a variety of facial tones using a combination of colors
- How to avoid brown tones in skin tones
- How to paint while standing up for a more objective view
- How to use a scrap piece of paper to test out colors.
In this tutorial, artist Vinita Pappas demonstrates how to paint a complex portrait of a saxophone player by creating loose and abstract backgrounds, building up layers for each section, and focusing on values. Through her process, she aims to show that even challenging artwork can be approached with a relaxed mindset.