"Merritt's Composure" Progress

I've been struggling with the idea for this one, but I finally buckled down and got it done. This is definitely one of my favorite pieces yet. I really love how the colors turned out and the details I put into it. I'm usually hesitant about my work, and always picking at it, but I'm proud to say that I painted this one :-)!
This is another friend of mine. She's been my friend since elementary school, and she's in my Graphics Design class. Picture taken in my room. She's usually really silly, care-free, and hilarious, so I told her to look depressed. Hm... one of my red patches fell off...

I honestly don't know what the hell is wrong with me. I told myself to make it asymmetrical. That was my MAIN focus, and I didn't do it! But the sketch was so good that I couldn't erase it. Sorry, Sweney. Can't waste good art. At least... I can't afford to right now. By the way, I fixed the drooping mouth after I took this picture.
*Edit: So, apparently, I was clueless on what asymmetrical meant. I had one of those moments when someone tells you what it means and then you go "Ohhh! I knew that," when you didn't exactly know before they told you. I just wanted to keep it from the center of the page to make it asymmetrical, but the tilt of the face works as well according to the mirror-rule. So, it IS asymmetrical. :-)

Ha, NyQuil. I hated this background. I was going to do horizontal dips for texture throughout the whole piece kind of like an oil painting, but it would just take TOO long. I also hated the color I chose.

So, I thought to myself... What could I cover this horrible blue with that'll blend well with it. YELLOW! Which blended with the blue and made a very beautiful earthy green/yellow blend. It also matched her eye colors beautifully. Initially, I thought her eyes were blue so I painted them blue, but then I realized they were actually green. So I fixed that. The eyes were the most enjoyable part to paint, I think.

Better background. Still not done with her hair/skin/background. Oh yeah, I duct-taped this down because I didn't want the paper to warp, even though it's watercolor paper. It still warps, believe me! Haha, I like how in every picture, something different changes on my workspace. Spot the difference! Pahahaha... hahaha... ha. Whut?
This is a close-up of the finished product. I started and finished this in a span of 48 hours. I still might go in to touch it up. After I mount it, I'll post a picture up. Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MERRITT! Luckily I finished this in time to show her on her birthday. :-) I title this... "Merritt's Composure".

Update

So, I've been sick for a little more than a week. I think it's swine flu. I have most of the symptoms for it, anyway. I still feel like complete s*** even if it's not. It's been really tempting to destroy the swine flu painting I did to feel some kind of satisfaction... But then, it'd put me even further behind... This is more of an update for Sweney to show my progress in my art, which... has yet to budge. Back to my deathbed.

Blogtivity #1

By: Jose Manuel Hortelano, watercolors, November 19, 2007

This piece is just amazing. From the vivid colors; to the subtle expression on his face; the visible, appropriate brushstrokes; and the variety of textures in the skin, the bubbles, and the negative space... this piece, to me, is perfect. It caught my attention because of the composition, initially. After getting acquainted with the composition, I'm always attracted to a finer detail every time I look at it. For example, look at the grey-blue and the pink blotches on his left shoulder and the messy white highlights he creates on the skin.
In this image is a man underwater. The main focus is kept on this man's face because of the details in color and texture in contrast to the abstract brim in the water and shoulders. The composition flows well from the bubbles coming from his nose connecting the abstract water to the rest of the image. He takes full use of both the top and bottom half of the piece, keeping the piece as a whole, visually intriguing. He seems to be floating in the water because of the slight angle, which adds to the asymmetrical composition. The warm reds, browns, and other skin tones contrast nicely with the cool colors in the background.
To see more of Jose Manuel Hortelano's work, visit: http://picasio.deviantart.com/