cont. from

   Now apply a light amount of water to this first layer of color by dipping your larger brush and shaking off the excess. Warning... Use extreme caution when applying darker colors, especially black. These are harder to correct, although it is possible. Remember to clean your brush between each color change, and be sure that you do not wipe the water off with a towel or paper. Always shake your brush into the air or tap it on the edge of your seat. This works best. But please, be sure you are not sitting in your finest living room sofa or  chair!

Step Three

   Take a few days off! This not only allows the paint to dry, it will allow you time to recoup/regroup/refresh. If you have made it this far, believe me, you will need a rest.

   The final stage in this project will require a great deal of focus, patience, and determination. If you feel at any point that you can't make sense out of what you are doing, put the work up for a week. When you get back to it, view it from a distance first. This will always help you to see where you need to continue and/or make changes.

Beginning the Details

The eyes are the most important part of any portrait. Spend the most time on them. They are what give the portrait its reality—its life. Using the white water color will accentuate the moisture in the eyes and make them look alive.

   Continue working your portrait in layers of color matching them as best you can. Colors can be mixed right on the paper, always in layers, a little at a time. If you make a mistake, first clean your brush thoroughly. Then dip, shake, and lightly touch the brush to the mistake. This should lift the color off. With darker colors, you may need to do this several times. 

   Finishing the portrait relies on perceiving the shadows and light within the picture you are using. Force your brain to register what your eyes are looking at. Make it a routine practice. Look at everything that surrounds your daily living with the concept of focusing your brain. Study the details of the light and how it falls on what you see. Study the shadows created by the light. Forcing your brain to perceive what your eyes behold is the single most important thing that will help you in any drawing and/or painting you do--no matter what the medium. And never forget, practice makes perfect... Or pretty close to it. There are two main things you should always remember: don't give up, and do have fun. Soon, you too may be turning out

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