2004 Portraits in Watercolor

An instructor once told me that drawing in charcoal is the best media for a beginner who would like to learn to paint.  One needs to learn to draw and how to use light and dark values in a composition before adding the color.  Monochrome painting, whether in acrylic, oil, pen and ink, or watercolor adds the complication of the paintbrush and media as a challenge.  This is an early monochrome watercolor.  Really by accident I believe that the beauty and charm of this model was captured in this work.  I saved it because it reminds me of an early victory along the way and because it helps me to remember how powerful it is to see shapes and value.  At the time I did not concentrate on painting a likeness of this model; I just was looking at and painting the light and dark shapes and the transition between them.