I’m a bit of a people watcher. {Maybe you’ve noticed my favorite subject to paint is people.} I’m always soaking up the faces around me and looking for an image to paint. You can’t find a better place for such an activity than the NYC subway if just for the sheer volume of people. Not only that, but you get a delicious variety. The only problem is trying to get decent photos of people without seeming creepy.
[bctt tweet=”Artist problems: I’m not being creepy; I’m just trying to photograph you.”]
When I saw this Asian girl get on, I knew I had to capture her. She sat across from me and stared at the ceiling the entire way to her stop probably trying to ignore what a weirdo I was being. But I captured the shot and learned a lot painting her. I still don’t have a title for this piece.
{There were so many interesting people to watch, I think I’ll start a series of paintings of people just on the subway.}
COLORS ON MY PALETTE (all Lukas Berlin brand)
- Titanium White
- Naples Yellow
- Yellow Ochre
- Primary Red (a very pinkish red similar to Permanent Rose)
- Cobalt Blue Light
- Cassell Earth (a purplish brown)
- Burnt Umber
UNDERPAINTING
I decided on an underpainting, not for any particular reason other than I hadn’t done it in a while. I used the burnt umber with my favorite thinner, Gamsol, to create the sketch of her head and features. I toned the rest of the board with a mix of cobalt and burnt umber.
THE COLOR MIX
- SKIN BASE: Titanium white, Naples Yellow, primary red
- TO DARKEN: Cassell earth and burnt umber
This was also my first attempt at Asian skin tone (and firsts can be intimidating). I knew I needed to add extra yellow to my usual skin tone mix which consists of Naples yellow, permanent rose, and white with a little permanent blue to tone it down. In fact, the Naples yellow wasn’t cutting it so I had to whip out my yellow ochre. Several times in the video you’ll see the skin tone going from too yellow to too pink, but I think I finally managed to capture the right balance.