• Home
  • About Laura
  • Tutorials
  • Contact

Laura Sfiat

~ City Sketcher Boston

Laura Sfiat

Tag Archives: koi watercolors

Daniel Radcliffe

19 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Brushes, Drawings, Illustration, PaperBrands, Pens, PerfectMatch-Materials, Portraits, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

drawing, ink, isabey, koi watercolors, lamy, portraits, S&BBetaSeries, sketch, Sketches, StillmanAndBirn, W&N, watercolor

I made this portrait of Daniel Radcliffe from a black and white copy. I made up the colors using my usual palette for skin tones and Walnut ink for the hair.

My procedure for portraits is based on simplification. Drawing is not what you draw but what you leave out. I begin with a very accurate ink drawing. If the features are somehow hard to get I start with pencil first, but Radcliffe has a very distinct face that is somehow easy to do. The likeness is pretty much attained by an exaggeration of the eyebrows and getting the eyes right. The jawline is also key in this case.

As in anything, things come out better when you are in familiar territory, your usual palette, your best paper, and your favorite brushes. I particularly feel at home and use no other paper for all my work than the Stillman and Birn brand, because it absorbs washes beautifully without warping. The heavy stock is just perfect for watercolor. This Portrait was done on the Beta Series on a 9×12 notebook, Natural white, Rough Surface, Extra Heavy Weight, 180lb. When I use only Ink I usually go for the smooth surface of the Heavy Stock Zeta Series. The Beta has the extra tooth that holds the water runs better.

All my sketches are done with my favorite fine point fountain pen.

When I do portraits I try to create a rhythm of contrasts so your eye jumps from dark spot to dark spot back and forth keeping the interest in the portrait in a circular motion. The warms and cools also play a part in that rhythm. Since in this portrait most of the real state is warm, the cooling factor is the blue eyes. Eyes are the feature that we feel mostly attracted to in a face, so a very bold blue in that focal point compensates for all the warmth that is around. This cool color finds then a visual connection with another cooling color, the greenish blue of the shirt, between those two I feel I accomplished a balance and the portrait feels right. The shading in the face is done using about three layers of watercolor, allowing the first layer to dry completely.

Depending on the light source direction I start my first wash with The main skin tone. then I add the first pass of dark brown and follow with the lighter and darker skin tones once the first layer is dry. The cooling touches are at the end. The coloring process is about 15 min, The drawing part takes about 25-30 min

10
I included my palette here with my regular colors that are both for landscapes and portraits. I have a special spot for skin colors as you can see, my darks and lights and my neutrals

IMG_3523
Here the list:

Alizarin Crimson,Cad Red Light, Orange Yellow, Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, Yellow Ocher, Cad Yellow Pale Hue, Pelylene green, Sap Green, French Ultramarine, Prussian Blue, Cerulean Blue, Violet, Lamp Black (Lamp black is opaque and highly staining, it makes the darks really dark as opposed to the Ivory black that is a warm semitransparent black that blends better with other pigments, I personally prefer more opacity)

Gouaches: White, Beige, Pale Peach, Flesh and Jaune Brilliant (Main skin color)

On regard to brushes I always use natural hair as it holds more pigment.

Here below are some short clips that show the normal speed in which I usually work as in watercolor you pretty much work with the flow and must be a rather quick application and in every layer pass, more and more specific in small spots/areas to create contrast.


Advertisements

Wedding at Martha’s Vineyard, MA

18 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Laura Sfiat in CommissionWork, Drawings, Illustration, PaperBrands, PerfectMatch-Materials, Portraits, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

beta series, drawing, ink, isabey, koi watercolors, lamy, portraits, sketch, Sketches, StillmanAndBirn, urbansketcher, watercolor, Wedding

On Sep 26, Saturday was the wedding we were hired to sketch at Martha’s Vineyard. It was quite an experience to have so many moving subjects and trying to chase-a-sketch! We managed to get a few done and some were colored afterwards. We got about a dozen done each of us in 4hrs.

I chose Stillman and Birn Zeta series notebooks for this, The hard stock takes the watercolor beautiful without warping. I used Koi watercolors, they are a little volatile but it is good to have scans so I can reprint them in their original color saturation.

The bride, young actress Julianna Gill (from Friday the 13) here with her little nephew and Dave Franco with fiance Allison Brie (from Madmen) are here in these sketches.

We didn’t realized who they were until a while later which helped in the sense of not being star struck while drawing!
It was quite stressful to try to sketch in so little time as many sketches as possible but I did learned a lot. On the next gig, if we have another one like this, I think I will apply watercolor off site if i have to work this fast because running with a wet tray and brushes, while holding a sketchbook a pen and a water container just… Doesn’t work!
Some sketches were very… “Accidental” *_* like the color one here, that sky is a bad spill… my tray fell over the sketch.
My friend Mia said that this was a gig that could break the most confident speedy sketcher! And yes when I saw my works I wanted to cry :I but I worked on them at home a little more, adding watercolor touches here and there. Some of them I didn’t have time to add color.

Untitled-1

0 1 2 3 copy 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 15

Leo’s accidental watercolor

07 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Drawings, Illustration, PaperBrands, Portraits, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

drawing, ink, isabey, koi watercolors, my PS brushes, portraits, StillmanAndBirn, twigs, W&N, watercolor, Zeta Series

I used my own carved wood sticks to make this drawing and permanent ink, on a stillman and birn Zeta series notebook. Then I applied W&N cotman’s watercolors witha petit gris brush

the result was ok, with a few spots here and there but overall I’m happy with this πŸ™‚

IMG_4776 copyIMG_2615

Trial and Error

06 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Drawings, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

beta series, drawing, ink, koi watercolors, lamy, SketchingWorkshopGroup, StillmanAndBirn, twigs, urbansketcher, W&N

It all started when I messed up this watercolor

4

I made a sketch of the drawing, which became more simplified

I used my carved willow sticks to apply ink in simplified strokes to get the essence of the sketch

2 10557390_800726376645745_1221161449125554133_nThen I applied colors

At the end the character was different so I don’t know which I like best but I think the black and white πŸ™‚

3

USK Boston meetups

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

beta series, drawing, ink, koi watercolors, lamy, sketch, Sketches, SketchingWorkshopGroup, StillmanAndBirn, urbansketcher, watercolor

Sketching The north end and the Back Bay with USK Boston

Lamy pen Koi watercolors and Stillman and Birn sketchbook Beta series

7 3 1 8

 

Detailed urban sketches

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Drawings, PaperBrands, Pens, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

beta series, ink, koi watercolors, lamy, S&BBetaSeries, sketch, Sketches, SketchingWorkshopGroup, StillmanAndBirn, urbansketcher, watercolor

I am trying to spend more time on details. here is the first set of images. I took about 40 min on each. The notebook is small. next time I’ll use a bigger norebook for even more detail. I used a Lamy pen and Stillman and Birn sketchbooks.

2 6 Untitled-1

The Little Football Players

28 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Brushes, CommissionWork, PaperBrands, Portraits, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

koi watercolors, lamy, myArtSketch, portraits, sketch, Sketches, urbansketcher, watercolor

Watercolor on Canson Paper

These little guys are so adorable. I used Koi watercolors and as always my Isabey petit brushes. also some payne gray from W&N

11″x 14″

Players

New Watercolor Portraits

05 Monday May 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in CommissionWork, Drawings, Portraits, Watercolor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

drawing, ink, isabey, koi watercolors, lamy, myArtSketch, portraits, sketch, Sketches, StillmanAndBirn, watercolor

I now have my watercolors portraits available to order at http://www.myartsketch.com πŸ™‚

hilda 3 IMG_3958 copy

Detail on a Building in Back Bay

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Drawings, PaperBrands, Pens, PerfectMatch-Materials, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

drawing, ink, koi watercolors, lamy, S&BBetaSeries, sketch, Sketches, StillmanAndBirn, urbansketcher, W&N, watercolor

This detail corner was done on my Stillman and Birn Beta Series sketchbook. I used Lamy fountain pens for the outlines and sketching, this was done on dry brush technique with W&N Cotman watercolors.

It is important to keep on sight good contrasts of light and shadow I believe to make a bold statement on volumes.

back bay

Frida

07 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Laura Sfiat in Brushes, Drawings, Portraits, Sketches, Watercolor

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

drawing, ink, isabey, koi watercolors, lamy, PentelBrush, portraits, sketch, Sketches, twigs, W&N, watercolor

The talented Frida.

Watercolor on 120lb paper and yellow touches with pentel brush

frida

← Older posts
Follow Laura Sfiat on WordPress.com
  • View LSCIllustration’s profile on Facebook
  • View belleartworks’s profile on Twitter
  • View laurasfiatcreative’s profile on Instagram
  • View laurasfiat’s profile on Pinterest
  • View belleartworks’s profile on LinkedIn

YouTube Channel

CitysketcherBoston

Tag Cloud

animals barns beta series blue boston brause brausenibs color pencil comicNoir copicMultiliner DanielSmith deleterink digital colouring downloads drawing florals gameofthrones games graphicNovel ink inkportraits isabey koi watercolors Lamisafari lamy myArtSketch my PS brushes nibs NoRightTurn PDF PentelBrush Pilot Portrait portraits Prismacolor Rocket Rosie S&BBetaSeries sepias sketch Sketches SketchingWorkshopGroup sketchpad Sktchy Steadtler StillmanAndBirn stllmanandbirn Strathmore trees Tutorials twigs urbansketcher Urbansketcherboston urbansketchers urbansketchersboston USKBoston vikings W&N watercolor Wedding Zeta Series

Recent Posts

  • Inana’s Portrait – Reilly Method
  • One Week 100 People Challenge
  • Sketching Pole Dancers
  • Upgrading Detail
  • A Comic Page

Older Posts

By Subject

No Right Turn – A Collaborate Graphic Novel by SW Facebook Group

by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Cat Andrew
by Cat Andrew
By Rene Fijten
By Rene Fijten
by Jim Scheel
by Jim Scheel
by Laura Sfiat
by Laura Sfiat
by Holger Wendt
by Holger Wendt
by Amanda Lee Condict
by Amanda Lee Condict
by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Jorge Royan
by Jorge Royan
by Mark Fraley
by Mark Fraley
by Sofiya Voznaya
by Sofiya Voznaya
by Jim Scheel
by Jim Scheel
by Sofiya Voznaya
by Sofiya Voznaya
by Cat Andrew
by Cat Andrew
by Wes Douglas
by Wes Douglas
by Wes Douglas
by Wes Douglas
by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Nicholas Choong
by Nicholas Choong
by Laura Sfiat
by Laura Sfiat
by BΓ©liza Mendes
by BΓ©liza Mendes
by Rene Fijten
by Rene Fijten
by Nicholas Choong and coloured by Jonas Ericson
by Nicholas Choong and coloured by Jonas Ericson

Website

LauraSfiat.com

The Portfolio of Laura Sfiat

Facebook

Facebook

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 218 other followers

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Instagram

#valentinesday #poster #commissionportrait #penandink
#patriots #newenglandpatriots #parade #boston #urbansketchers #watercolor #sketch
Commission #illustration #portrait #portraitdrawing #penandink #penandinkdrawing
Working on a commission #portrait #penandink :) #artillustration #illustration #portraiture
Completed work #reddeadredemption2 #arthurmorgan #nitramcharcoal . . . #illustration #drawing #draw #picture #artist #sketch #sketchbook #paper #artsy #instaart #beautiful #instagood #gallery #masterpiece #creative #instaartist #graphic #graphics #artoftheday #sketch_dailydose #western
#progress on a #reddeadredemption2 #charcoal piece #nitramcharcoal #western #illustration #drawing #arthurmorgan
Working on a #reddeadredemption2 #charcoaldrawing #charcoal #nitramcharcoal
#candleinthewindow
#grandmother #penandink #inkportrait #inkillustration #ink #vintageportrait . . . . . #inkportrait #penandink #illustration #portraitdrawing #portraitillustrator . . . . #inkfeature #rtistc_feature #art_feature #fubiz#worldofartists #art_nerd #artsnapper #artistmafia#artcollective #wip #gigihadid #topcreator #art_spotlight #art_collective #art_worldly #art_help #art #artworks #artistic_support #instagood
#merrychristmas! πŸŽ„πŸŽΊπŸ₯ #christmas2018
Luca. #ChristmasPresent #inkportrait #penandink #illustration #portraitdrawing #portraitillustrator . . . . #inkfeature #rtistc_feature #art_feature #fubiz#worldofartists #art_nerd #artsnapper #artistmafia#artcollective #wip #gigihadid #topcreator #art_spotlight #art_collective #art_worldly #art_help #art #artworks #artistic_support #instagood
Fisher. Christmas Present #inkportrait #penandink #illustration #portraitdrawing #portraitillustrator . . . #inkfeature #rtistc_feature #art_feature #fubiz#worldofartists #art_nerd #artsnapper #artistmafia#artcollective #wip #gigihadid #topcreator #art_spotlight #art_collective #art_worldly #art_help #art #artworks #artistic_support #instagood
Jackson. Christmas Present #inkportrait #penandink #illustration #portraitdrawing #portraitillustrator . . . . #inkfeature #rtistc_feature #art_feature #fubiz#worldofartists #art_nerd #artsnapper #artistmafia#artcollective #wip #gigihadid #topcreator #art_spotlight #art_collective #art_worldly #art_help #art #artworks #artistic_support #instagood
Year end 9 most liked posts #bestof2018 πŸ˜ŠπŸŽ‰πŸ‘©πŸ»β€πŸŽ¨ . . . . . . #bestnine #best9 #bestnine2018 #top92018 #topnine2018 #2018topnine #illustration . . #inkfeature #rtistc_feature #art_feature #fubiz#worldofartists #art_nerd #artsnapper #artistmafia#artcollective #wip #gigihadid #topcreator #art_spotlight #art_collective #art_worldly #art_help #art #artworks #artistic_support #instagood
Correction of facial features in previous model #inkportrait #penandinkillustration #penandinkportrait #portrait #africanamerican #maleportrait
One room 4 different #atmospheres #photography All about the use of #light #notestomyself
Some interesting studies on the use of the value scale and accents in #photography this goes for artwork too #instablackandwhite #bwphotography #notestoself
At the @grafton02138 #worldcup2018 #fifaworldcup2018
NetworkedBlogs
Blog:
City Sketcher Boston
Topics:
Urbansketcher, Watercolor, Sketch
 
Follow my blog
Advertisements

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy