How I Paint a Loose Portrait in Watercolor

In this video, I show you how I paint a loose portrait with watercolors, using just 3 colours for the skin.
I used: Alizarin Crimson, Raw Sienna, Cerulean Blue + a very small amount of Winsor Blue - all Winsor and Newton paints. The paper is Saunders Waterford High White Not, 300lb. Various brushes including a hake, a no.16 Round, a no.12 round, a small worker brush.
I used a drawing as a reference from a photograph from Unsplash, which you can find here: unsplash.com/p...
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🎧Music from the UA-cam Library: Bubblegum Ballgame

[@fuzzydragons]

lovely portrait 😀 its so soft looking

[@karipaints6259]

Thank you so much Jen, yes I was all about the soft edges in this one! 😄💗😀

[@sheilaghwhite6701]

Lovely to watch her come out of nowhere.
Thanks Kari, as always wonderful xxx😍😍

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks so much, Sheilagh, I am very glad you enjoyed it, it was a challenge and I was very nervous at the beginning, I thought I may have forgotten how to do portraits! 💗😊💗

[@katierose7539]

She’s lovely - looks so fresh and natural. Watercolor is still high magic.

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks Kate, I am enjoying putting more time aside for painting in watercolour, they really are magic, I love using them! 💗💗💗

[@TraceySusanMixedMedia]

Wow all that shading and blending she turned out super was really fun to watch xx

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks Tracey, it was quite difficult, I did feel a bit rusty as it has been ages since I painted a portrait. I really enjoyed it though! 💗💗

[@mariach46]

This is so lovely, I love this portrait.
Watercolour is amazing, I fall in love with it every time I play with it and I think it's a lifetime learning.
Thank you Kari for sharing your process.

[@karipaints6259]

Thank you so much Maria, I know what you mean about falling in love with watercolour every time we use it, I feel the same - and yes, you are right, it is a lifetime of learning. Thank you for watching and for your kind comment! 💗💗

[@zhianne9425]

I'm really glad you explained the technique before starting otherwise I would've been so confused and shooketh on what's happening with the dark colors.
It turned out really beautiful in the end. I love this very dreamy portrait!

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks Zhianne, yes, it certainly looked weird at the beginning with the shadows, she looked like a scary bandit at that stage, LOL! I am glad you like the end result, I did feel a bit rusty, it has been a while since I painted a portrait in watercolours! 💗💗

[@AndreatheCumbrianCrafter]

Stunning portrait Kari, I really enjoyed watching you create it 💕xx

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks so much Andrea, I really enjoyed doing it, although I was a bit nervous at the beginning as I felt a bit out of practice! 💗😊💗

[@beccasart1]

I love the lifting off process! One day I will try it, and your precision with the brushes is amazing. Those eyes speak.Something has gone array with my video stream here, I will need to restart it! Not sure if it is YT or my Mac.

[@beccasart1]

I'm back and running, and it has turned out wonderful, great colour harmony and just generally good.

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks Becca, how weird about the video streaming, I hope it is OK now. I have that occasionally, too and the only thing is to hit refresh. Very annoying. 💗💗

[@beccasart1]

@@karipaints6259 Thanks Kari! Yes, refresh worked! The portrait turned out lovely!

[@lindseywarren44]

How did I miss this one?? This was excellent! I thoroughly enjoyed that, Kari. Thank you! Faces are my kryptonite...gosh, I am awful at them! Whimsical ones I can do... but realism? Goodness, no! LOL This was marvelous to watch. WC painting intimidates me so but I am slowly getting a wee bit better at it. I love the unpredictability of it but it takes a great lot of patience to get proficient, doesn't it? I have promised myself that once I master several techniques and get better at realism, I am going to treat myself to some really good quality paints 😊Thank you so much for explaining everything you did. Wonderful! Love and Bless xo

[@karipaints6259]

Thanks Lindsey, I love doing faces, but I have no desire to do portraiture for a living, I just enjoy doing them for fun. Again, I had great tutors over the years, all credit to them, really. Well, I think you should treat yourself to the great paints sooner rather than later - and good watercolour paper, too! Have a wonderful weekend, Love and hugs! xx💗💗xx