The alternative title for this was going to be: "The Bordello", but I went with "The Betrayal" instead.
It only took me 12 years to finally paint a portrait of this friend. I realised that I have known her for half my life, and from here on with every year I will have known her for more than half... that feels special.
Regarding the illustration itself - I discovered India Ink is so completely different to work with than my trusted watercolours. It doesn't blend nicely at all, and being so dominant - even when watered down - the multitude of translucent layers of watercolour beneath it are lost entirely. Mixing black in watercolours is so hard though, and it's never black enough! This is all good learning, and since I very rarely make dominantly black pieces, it's not a huge issue.
I'd love to hear your thoughts......
Oooh, I really love this painting. It is such a departure from your usual style (I mean that in a good way).
ReplyDeleteI love the darker, subtle and somewhat sombre palette. I really suits the intensity of her face and body language.
This one is quite the standout, I agree- different from your usual work but in a good way. It definitely has the underlying bones of your work, the peachy, delicately washed skin and femininity but it's got a special strong, defined presence. It's almost less classic in style- maybe it's the ring of white around the hair but it's very interesting. That fan has got a nice shape to it too. Lovely as usual :)
ReplyDeleteI like this one too! 8) It had beautiful colours and the atmosphere is really good: I wonder what the character is thinking... ; )
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