Finished Portrait

The nice and polished final piece!

So do artist ever get scared of a painting? Yes! This particular painting was a challenge mentally for me. I was so nervous when I first started b/c I knew that once I had drawn it and begun to paint it would be very, very hard to change anything and more than likely I would have to start over. In the past, I've always used more forgiving mediums for portraits like pastel. Pastel is chalk that you can rub off if the nose is looking a little crooked or the eyes are little too far apart. This wasn't my first watercolor portrait but it was my first with 3 subjects! I bought the best paper I could find, 300lb cold press for $20.00. Yes, that does seem expensive for paper, but if you've ever painted using this kind, it's really hard to go back. It's kind of like the difference between the taste and texture of a homegrown tomato compared to store bought......or dull scissors to cut fabric..... Anyway, I eventually got over my mental hurdle and dove in.....and I really loved it! I still can't believe how much I loved it. I'd turn on my music, turn off the part of my brain that thought about money, bills, whether Wyatt was outgrowing his shoes and what in the world was I going to make for supper? It was pure bliss and once the the eyes and lips started taking shape, I got that little tingle in my heart that said, "Go Leigh! You've still got this in you girl".....that piece of God that is able to create something new and relevant. It's hard to explain but it feels really amazing and I thank Esther for commissioning me and prodding me. Below is the pastel portrait I did for her a few yrs back of her two sweet daughters.