At a house concert in upstate New York, I open my gouache sketchbook in my lap to paint Irish fiddle champ Dylan Foley.
(Link to video on YouTube)
Here's what I try to do at each stage:
Step 1. The watercolor-pencil drawing locates
the elements. A big gray wash lowers the tone.
There's a moment of hesitation as I worry that
the wash will erase the drawing.
Step 2. I place the features as spots, as if
I'm seeing the scene out of focus. Next, the
big darks establish the poster-like pattern.
Step 3. Interpreting the tones of the face in two
values first, then finding halftones and variations.
Because Dylan is in constant motion, I can find
the most characteristic aspects that would not
show up in a static pose.
Step 4. Bringing in some background color, I
now have all the basic tones and colors worked out
and can begin focusing on nuances. Things like
glasses and details of the fiddle can wait.
Step 5. Gouache lets me get small details but
also I can go back and soften edges. I want the
blow hand blurry because it's always in motion,
so I soften the paint and set up a blur.
Finish. I letter his name with a fountain pen in the Irish
Gaelic Alphabet. Some of the action lines on the
far left are done with a gray watercolor pencil.
Previously: Gouache Materials List
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Dylan Foley / Deliriously Happy ----
Bandcamp
Amazon Music
Apple Music
Apple Music
Dylan Foley and Dan Gurney / Irish Music of the Hudson Valley
Bandcamp
Amazon Music
Portraits in the Wild / Painting People in Real Settings
Gumroad
Sellfy
DVD from manufacturer
DVD from Amazon
