Children Portraits: Jimmy and Jan

11x15 watercolor from my client's memory, a twilight scene with fireflies in east Texas one hot summer. They were 5 years old and he placed a lightning bug (firefly) ring upon her finger. I tried to show the innocence of children having a private moment she would cherish and remember from the mid 1950s. Getting the light just right, plus all the rest, was a real challenge! I don't have kids and had no references, so it was even more difficult to depict "Jimmy and Jan", and hope I did it justice.  This painting is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

WIP - Children

Here I've begun laying a neutral background set up for the negative shape trees, leaving the misket or frisket fireflies intact.  I used what paint there was on the palette plus yellow green.  Next was the boy Jimmy's blue jeans painted with ultramarine blue.  His shirt will be white.  Another wash was done on the children's faces.  Added darks to foreground green foliage.  Stay tuned.

More WIP - Children and fireflies

More was done on the boy, Jimmy, by adding colors for his brown hair.  Jan's yellow dress is about done with quin gold highlights added to her hair.  For the grassy background I let various mixes of blues and yellows form the grass.  Main background will be negatively painted trees over the miskit dots (fireflies).

WIP boy and girl children portrait

I began painting the girl's hair, wet on dry watercolor using quinacridone gold and raw sienna for blond highlights.  Her yellow dress colors are Winsor yellow and quin gold.  His hair is light brown using quin burnt orange, carbazole violet and ultramarine blue; her hair has touches of the blue as well.  Masking dots are places where fireflies, or lightning bugs are.  He is placing a firefly "ring" upon her finger and the setting is twilight.  Flesh colors are burnt sienna and cadmium orange and the time setting is in the mid 1950s.  Stay tuned for more to follow later.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2013 Kay Smith.

Work in Progress - double portrait children

Pencil drawing on sketchbook paper in the top image of two young children.  Bottom image is on watercolor paper, Langton 140 lb cold press by Daler Rowney.  This work in progress took a couple of days and is totally imaginary, a commission that will be a real challenge.  I am two double portrait commissions behind, having put all on hold to work on illustrations.  After this one will be easier as I'll have photos of a newly married couple dressed in  Indian attire.