You can find the full list of all 7 Weeks of Creative Celebrations here.

Welcome to Week 6 of 7 Weeks of Creative Celebrations!

This week’s featured class: Bliss – Mixed Media Painting.

It’s all about staying loose, so we’re painting a woman’s face with color and freedom — making marks to define our features and seeing where the colors lead us.

I’m also happy to continue my gratitude sale: 50% off my most-loved online classes with lifetime access.

(You’ll also find them inside my Membership, if you prefer monthly or annual access.)

Let’s paint!

This Week’s Mini-Class: Bliss – Mixed Media Painting

We’re continuing the celebration with a full-length tutorial from my Bliss – Mixed Media Painting class. You can explore the full course here.

In this project we’re going to focus on painting a more realistic portrait. For these paintings, I like to lay down an initial background of watercolors, add two dots for eyes and then keep the rest of the sketch simple, using just a few lines.

I’ll be creating on bristol paper, but feel free to use your sketchbook, canvas or any loose paper for this project.

ART SUPPLIES:

*9×12″ smooth bristol paper
*watercolors (Winsor And Newton travel watercolor set)
*stabilo pencil (black)
*india ink or calligraphy ink (black or paynes gray)
*bamboo writing stick, calligraphy pen or medium brush
*various other brushes (small, medium, large)
*water-based paint pen (white)
*1-3 colors of acrylic paint (I’m using warm gray)
*water-soluble oil pastels (I’m using Portfolio brand)
*paint palette
*water

THINGS TO REMEMBER

*Fill the white space with layers of watercolors. There’s no need to pay too much attention to where your colors go. The random-ness and spontinaity can help to inspire your face and give it additional character as you go.

*Instead of erasing or completely covering up a line, stay loose. Use a bold color to scribble out your line and redefine your face (the way I did with the green water-soluble oil pastel to redefine the chin).

*Use a neutral acrylic paint to help your character pop out from the background. You don’t need to cover up the entire background, just use the color to define one side of the head or neck. And, if you’re not liking the neck, add a necklace.

ART TIP

If your eyes seem too painted on, add a bit more line to the outside, upper lash to get a softer look. Then add a few dots of white to the eyes to make them smile and shine. I like to use water-soluble white paint pen, but try out a few different supplies to find what you like best – white chalk, white watercolor, white pencil or white ink all work well too.

Happy painting!

xo Juliette