Cycles of Depression – Katie Jeanne Wood

Gouache portrait painting
wip

I used to be afraid of the beginning stages of my portraits because it’s usually an ugly mess of paint strokes on the page. Not having confidence in my painting skills, I’d stress myself out. How am I going to fix this mess??

I would sometimes give up at this stage because it was too overwhelming. Little did I know at the time, all I had to do is keep painting, and the problem would eventually fix itself.

The beginning stage doesn’t frightening me now, which most likely comes from painting thousands of paintings over the years. If you do something enough times it becomes a familiar routine, and you learn there’s nothing to be anxious about. It’s just another painting or just another meal you’re cooking..or whatever it is you’re doing. Repetition allows you to become comfortable with your own process, and you slowly learn to trust yourself as you gain more skill.

I usually start by deciding which direction the light is coming from, and fill in as much information as possible. Other artists take a different approach, and only work in tiny areas at a time. leaving the rest of the painting bare until they get to it.

My brain doesn’t work that way. I’m a big picture type of person, and I work on the entire painting from beginning to end. I think this is because I don’t like to waste paint, and if I have a certain color on my brush, I’ll add to other areas rather than wiping the excess paint off on a cloth.

My process changes slightly from one painting to the next, but generally, I establish where the shadows are first, and get those dark colors down. I usually overly exaggerate the shadows, and then soften those places when I start working on the flesh tones. Lastly, I paint in the the highlights and any detail that might bring the painting to life.

I don’t do this in a rigid manner. Step one, two, three doesn’t work for me because every painting is different. If I think I’m ready to add highlights, but then realize the flesh tones still need more work, I go back to painting the skin area. I might switch back & forth with skin tones and highlights ten times before the painting is completely done.

Some painters establish a focal point in every painting. A focal point is an area that stands out, and immediately draws the viewer’s eye and attention. I don’t always think about having a focal point when I’m painting. Sometimes, I’d rather the eye sees the entire painting as a whole.

Other times I’m too close to the painting, and don’t even realize I’ve created a focal point until I look at the painting with fresh eyes – days or weeks later. If I want an obvious focal point, it’s something I decide based on what the painting is telling me it needs as I’m painting it.

I had first thought the focal point of this painting was going to be the blue paint on her forehead, since it’s such a strong, pretty color.

Later, I changed my mind, and decided I wanted two focal points – her lips and ears. I painted those areas with gobs of vibrant pink gouache paint to draw the most attention to them.

Cycles of Depression
8×10 inches
gouache portrait painting on paper
Available here