House portrait

For this painting, I wanted to try a few things differently. First, I didn't use any masking fluid. Masking fluid is a special type of thick paint (it resembles Elmer's glue) that you use on any areas you would like to preserve as the original white of the paper. However, it is tricky to get the tiny details I require and it occasionally ruins the tooth of the watercolor paper. Since this painting, I've gone back to using it again for specific sections, but it still is tricky to get fine lines. I also used gouache ( an opaque watercolor-like paint) in the leaves of the tree, details on the front porch and garden, a technique that I will continue to explore more in future work.

Here are a few in progress snapshots... this house is particularly important to me, because it is where I grew up! 

Pencil sketch outlining the key features of the painting. The tree in the front yard was shifted to the right and slightly enlarged to disguise the garage on the side of the house.

Beginning stages of watercolor washes

Finished! The lilies on the right got pushed back a bit and some extra foliage was added to hide the garage. Small details, like a few ferns and two red rocking chairs were added in gouache to the front porch. 

Cheers!

Katy

House Portrait

Well friends, we are solidly into November as I write this, and it's starting to become that time of year again...

I've just wrapped up this house portrait commission for a client, and have several others underway to begin and finish. 

Here's a few in progress photos as I remembered to take them. Overall, this illustration took 4 days to finish. Unexpected interruptions to the kiddo's nap schedule threw a bit of wrench in my schedule, what with surprise (but much needed!) structural repairs to the apartment, a long awaited day trip with a friend, relatives visiting, a birthday party (guess whose kiddo turned two!), more visits with family, sheer exhaustion... well, I think you may get the picture. It was a pretty busy weekend all around. 

The initial drawing! I used a ruler and calculator to make certain it was to scale- a bit time consuming, but I would rather have it right the first time!

Filling in all the background areas with some light washes. 

Adding in more detail- each of these bricks were painted individually, and then washes were applied over them later in the painting to make it look a bit more believable. 

The home is not located in Louisiana, but something in the reference photo made me think of hazy, atmospheric, swampy, deep south sorta vibe. I added some gouache in the foreground for a bit of the foliage in the trees and a teeny bit in the shrubs. Personally, I liked the way it turned out, and that's a technique I'm keeping for future use. I also emphasized some glowing light from inside the house and the front- that was a fun, last minute detail I'm happy I put in. 

This is my favorite photo of the whole bunch! Each window pane was painted individually, so there was no white gouache used in that part- just the trees and bushes in front of the house. 

In terms of areas that need improvement, I still see my struggle with 180 and 90 degree angles. Depicting those straight angles- that is a skill that must be practiced some more. If anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them!

Anyways, it is my sincere hope that this portrait is received with delight and cherished for many years to come- I really hope that in this painting I have captured something of home.

Doesn't that look like a cozy home? 

Well guys, I hope you enjoyed looking at a few of these in progress photos. There is still time to order custom art for Christmas in the shop, if anyone is interested as- just click on the shop link on the website and shoot me a message. 

Best, 

Katy Becker