Adding the Next Step - Paint to My Portraits

(Liisa Elder (c) 2011)

Here are the three pieces I am currently working on. I did the the next step end of lesson 2 last night. Adding a base color to hair, and clothing, highlighting areas with titanium white glaze, painting the eyes with metallic paint mixed with glaze.
This is all a process of building up layers and adding depth and color. Many more layers to come as I start Lesson 3 this week. This is all a process which will in the end effect give a great outcome of a truly meaningful piece.

Golden Goddess

Liisa Elder (C) 2011


This is another incomplete drawing of another "Goddess" I'm doing a few of these before I go to my next lesson so I have some to practice on when we add the next layer of paint. The best thing with art? You can change it anytime you want. Add, take away, erase...the "push" "pull" technique as Suzi says! Push to put things in the background, pull to bring it up...I still need to add more color and finish her hair...then this week I will be adding paint! Yay!

Art With Soul

Liisa Elder (c) 2011

Another of my many faces I'm continuing to work on, now using warm and cool colors, lots of layering with crosshatching method and building up the shading. The photo doesn't show the many colors I have used. Pinks, lavenders, greens, cream, Sienna brown, white and Tuscan red with graphite. This particular work is more dreamy and Goddess like. I am really enjoying this style of art, that really shows the soul and not necessary perfection. I will post my progress as I continue to work on these intriguing Goddess portraits.

Adding Color to Graphite Sketches

Here's looking to a very creative and productive year with my art.
As I continue to practice my shading and getting the hang of drawing pretty faces, this is just a few of the many I have been doing in my art journal. I am on my 2nd class "The Goddess & Poet", this step is not finished yet. Layering over graphite sketch with colored wax pencils in many, many layers...I will post the next step and you can see how the faces change layer after layer. We will be adding paint, more pencil, etc. Bringing the eyes and features out even more. This all takes time and is worth the end result. I am excited to see what lays in store!