Queen Elizabeth

In my watercolor class with Rieneke Leenders, we painted Queen Elizabeth. It was a great deal of fun.

It is always a challenge painting portraits. Each time I paint one I learn a little bit more about what I'm doing and after it is complete I can look at it and see what I might have done differently for it to come out a little bit better.

I look back over the past year and think about the past portraits I have done and the challenges have changed. There are certain things that came more easily for me. Like leaving the highlights. And others that are more difficult like softening edges and how thick to put the color down. This is part of the learning process that fascinates me.

Overall I am pleased with the Queen. Her hat and suit were so much fun to recreate, but her jewelry was challenging. I painted her a little softer than she looked in the photo. I felt very close to her but cannot even imagine what her life is really like. I wonder if she is softer in her personal life or if she is always the "Queen"?

I want to thank all of you for continuing to follow my blog even with all of the computer problems I have been experiencing. I want to remind everyone about the drawing that I am doing at the end of the month. Read about it in the top right section of my blog.