Artist Thoughts | Dena McKitrick

The Joy of Experimenting – a Portrait Layer by Layer

One portrait layer by layer

It’s so way past my bedtime. Still, I couldn’t make myself stop and go to bed. Although I had a reluctant model (she loves being her age, but does not like to look like it), my brush and pencils did not wish to quit. This Spirit Portrait still has quite a ways to go. However, Prudence insists on having her way.

I’m going to show you the process of painting this Inner Spirit portrait layer by layer.

Step 1a – Sketch in watercolor pencil. Sometimes I use prismacolor pencil, or Utrecht/Blick colored pencils. However, the watercolor pencil seems to prove the most flexible and quick on canvas for the portrait work.

Layer 1b – Wet watercolor pencil on face. The time benefit of this pencil is apparent in this layer. I can wash around laying in the basic skin tone at the same time that I start defining the shapes and shadow very quickly.

Layer 2 – Watercolor Pencil. Here, with both pencil and brush in hand, I lay out the basic portrait composition, quickly.

Layer 3 – I lay on broad areas of transparent liquid acrylic, then cover those areas with plastic wrap, while they are still wet.

Layer 4. At this point, I enter a deeper engagement with spirit. There is a lot of joy in the process of finding what/who appears with my colored pencils. Sometimes they are readily visible, other times a bit more reluctant. Always there are surprises, and those who appear for others to discover, not me. I started my art journey drawing. It is my natural go to. It feeds that part of me that loves to do detail and define surfaces.

I also use more very thin washes of the liquid acrylics for defining large shapes and shadowed areas, as well as even more plastic wrap to reveal any additional lurkers willing to be discovered with the pencil.

At this point tonight, it is far too late to continue. Suffice it to say, that I will keep building up the portrait layer by layer until the painting says it is complete.

Note: For the final image, reference the day I finished it.

Oh Boy! A Whole New Universe

Oh Boy! I’m excited. The new transparent liquid acrylic paints I used to create this new universe are wonderful – everything I dreamed they should be. Plus the acrylic paint pen that I invented? Well, someone caught the vibe and actually created them! And they actually also work just as I dreamed! This little abstract acted as the temporary playground for my new toys.

Someone important to me told me that my paintings were too busy to take in. She suggested I instead take a small portion and just paint that big. My little abstracts on canvas are that idea expressed. This little one, however, is pretty busy itself – having incorporated an entire universe and all.

This is part of the preparation for offering Spirit Portraits. I now have no doubt that I will be offering those really soon. I’ve got plans for a giveaway/contest type thingy here this week. I love it when things move along at the speed of galaxy’s rising.

While the Paint Dries

Sometimes other good things happen while the paint dries. This morning I got up before the dark dissipated. I wanted to play with the new transparent liquid acrylics a bit before my appointment this morning which is before I go into the store to do Stones of Change readings. I LOVE them!! They are really going to work out. However, I did not want to push the river up the hill, so I decided to do a bit of digital paint playing as the physical paint dried. Then I got involved with that, and now it’s time to start moving about the cabin.

Another Idea

I bought some transparent acrylics today, but have not had the opportunity to work with them yet. Another idea that I had was that I could paint and color my drawings digitally for my Spirit Paintings. I’ve done quite a bit of that with my pen drawing, but not so much really with pencil drawings. So, for today’s image I’ve re-worked my pencil drawing of my friend Greta with some canvas/paint texture and coloring. This could be a quicker, lesser cost alternative. Of course it would be a spirit portrait, not just a pencil drawing, but it appears the technique tests out sort of ok.

In the Process

My life is spent in the process: of becoming, of doing, of simply being. Today’s process involves a new pursuit.

A friend of mine is clairvoyant. She suggested to me that I start doing Spirit Portraits of “real people” as part of my readings offerings. I have always thought that I would like to do that, but had not pursued it. On her suggestion, I decided to really investigate how I could do that quickly, and figure out the logistics and feasibility as well as the demand for such offerings. This painting is the first project in that investigation.

Well, I have these ideas. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. The jury’s still out on this one. Another hour or two of work more and it’s still not complete. That’s not counting the overnight drying time for what I thought was going to help whizz the process along.

I am working on developing a process that will allow me to work quickly. This didn’t, but I learned quite a bit. I found that I can use Golden Acrylic Glazing liquid over the watercolor pencil layer to seal it. That’s important info. I learned that I can lay down washes of acrylic and keep them fairly transparent with water, and a little of the same glazing liquid. It does not dry really quick when I lay some plastic wrap on it however. And, if I don’t add enough water, the resultant texture is pretty darn well ensconced. I also re-affirmed that I can work with my prismacolor pencils right on top of the acrylics. And I was re-reminded how I love working in acrylics for bright colors and quick work.

I might just decide to prime my canvases with watercolor ground and go back to my watercolor and prismacolor approach. It would not be as quick, but it does have that magical quality that nothing else so far does.

A Whole New Thing

Sometime beginnings are humble, even when long overdue. This image may not look like much, however, it marks the scant beginning of a whole new thing. I am testing a different medium, specifically watercolor pencils direct on canvas. So far, they passed the test. Next will be combining them with acrylics and color pencils.

What I’m working on developing is a technique that will enable me to do very quick sketch portraits on canvas to be finished in layers varying between washes of transparent acrylic and sharper definition and discovery in the prismacolor pencils. I didn’t want a sketch in graphite or anything because it would interfere with the look of the transparent layers. It is also very important to me that it be very quickly manipulatable, to facilitate a speedy capture of the expression.

I’ll be sharing more about what I’m up to with this idea in the next couple days, but suffice it to say I’m excited about what I’ll be offering.