Youngster enrapt

Here's a painting from the Painting Friends forum portrait challenge. The ref is by luisrock62 on morguefile, thanks!

This kid was looking rather jaundiced for much of the time on my easel, but I think he's recovered... Practising skin tones and trying to keep loose...

There was much debate about whether out portrait subject is a little girl or boy (hence my non-committal title, lol)... I reckoned a little girl, but changed my mind while painting him. What do you think?

Watercolour, quarter sheet.

Old man winter

Well, moving on from my getting acquainted sketch, here's what I've ended up with:

Watercolour, gouache and ink, using clingfilm; quarter sheet. Ref photo by bboomerindenial on morguefile.

The reference photo for this painting was supplied for the January challenge in a small portrait group I belong to, and was in black and white, the idea being that we could apply our own colour without being influenced by the colour in the original. This is where I ended up. I'd like to say that flashes of inspiration brought me here, but in reality my thought processes were more akin to continental drift...

I may well try a series of these, one for each season, what do you think?

Edit: this painting was featured on the RedBubble homepage, 1st Feb 2011 - well chuffed!

sketch

Here's a "getting acquainted" sketch - thanks Linda, perfect description ;-) - for my next painting. Ref photo by bboomerindenial on morguefile, thanks!

Did this in my little sketchbook, 8" by 6". I have a few possibilities in mind here, but I think I'm going to try a 'Jack Frost/Old Man Winter' approach first off, and I think I may be getting the clingfilm out...