Stages of a Portrait

It feels good to get back to life drawing after a two-month hiatus.

Unfortunately the lighting in the workroom we use isn’t ideal, so mid-process photos can lean toward the dark side. Still, I think they work fine for my purposes here and will allow you to follow along as this portrait emerges.

Before beginning to paint I always map out my subject with pencil. Then, using a wide brush and Davy’s Gray paint (because it is very transparent and unsaturated), I lay down the basic values.

Splashes of color define skin tones. It’s remarkable the variation of hues that are visible in a face if you look closely.

I can’t imagine ever losing my infatuation with the beauty and the immediacy of watercolor. Sometimes it’s hard to move beyond the point where the features are well-enough defined yet still quite loose, solely because the ‘voice’ of medium is so pure and comes through so clearly.

However, that is the stage when tweaks often need to be made - such as here, where I raised her hair so that the elongation of her face wasn’t lost.

©2026 Elizabeth Fram, Watercolor on paper, 16.5 × 16 inches. This is the finished painting, taken in good light after returning home. Our sessions last for two hours, which is a sweet spot for me. I have enough time to capture a full image, but no room to dilly-dally or fuss. Frankly, it’s a restriction that lets watercolor truly shine as a medium.

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Quinn ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, ink on paper, 12 × 9 inches

I just read that August 26th is International Dog Day, celebrating all breeds and promoting adoption. Let’s hear it for our devoted studio assistants and all-around pals who add so much joy and love to our lives. With that in mind, give your pooch a pat for me.