Watercolor Portraits: Capture a Model's Personality

The course begins with a run through of Michele’s remarkable career. He shares his creative journey spanning from architecture to watercolors, and from Italy to Mexico. Michele discusses his major influences, which have helped him shape his unique style.

Throughout the lessons, concepts like tonal values in monochrome, anatomy, and proportion are taught. You will then be ready to put brush to paper and hone your skills by painting a skull from reference.

Michele elucidates on gradient washes, watercolor techniques, and properly rendering facial features for an expressive portrait. As he mentions, the most important feature of the portrait is the eye—the window to the soul.

The final project of the course is a segmented walkthrough of how to paint a live model. It begins with preparation and composition, and getting to know your subject. The following step is defining structure and gestures. Finally, add color and detail to the painting to bring your artwork to life.

Once you have completed your portrait, Michele teaches you how to properly preserve it and choose the correct frame.