Maja's portrait was my very first boudoir painting. I was very excited about venturing into an avenue that I had not yet experienced. I think boudoir photography is an incredible way for a woman to express herself and own her sexuality in a creative way. Maja and I have been friends for many years and this was not the first painting in which she was a subject. I guess she could qualify as a muse. ;-)
I had a few pictures to choose from but I really loved her pose in this photo because not only did it show off her bronze skin tone and the tattoos that decorate it with brilliant color, but her stance is one of power and seduction. I wanted to be a part of that; to bring it to life in a new way.
I wanted to bring out the yellow lime colour of her sweater and panties and paint out the guitar amps. I wanted to single her out and make her the emphasis.
First is the grid transfer. Laying a grid makes it easier for me to sketch out the portrait by giving me a spacial reference.
I chose to sketch out the grid and Maja in pencil crayon because the wax is an easier dissolve than graphite and the red is not as harsh. I tend to alternate my methods to find what works for me personally.
I am happy with her pose in the frame of the canvas so I can carry on with the first layer of oils. My approach for this particular painting is to paint out a monochrome black and white under-layer first so that I can get my contrast right and my black points dark enough. Plus, I am so used to sketching with pencil that I am more used to working in monochrome than colour, so this will work to my advantage.
My under layer painting is not true to every detail in regards to the finished painting, but it gives me a foundation upon which I can build. The values have given depth and shape.
Admittedly I was excited to get to the next phase of painting so I could begin to add some colour. I knew the colours in this painting would really make it pop. So, it was hard to wait for this first layer to dry completely before continuing on. It's really important for these under layers to be as dry as possible to prevent any mixing of colours. Plus when under layer paint pulls up from the oils of the new paint it will start to show the canvas layer. We don't want that. We want the painting to be treated the same way all over with a nice coat to create evenness.
Maja's skin tone was a fun super learning experience. ( I say that in jest because, as most painters will admit, skin tone is a battle when you are learning to paint). There is more than just one tone to contend with, as always, because each colour has a shadow and a highlight colour too. That's what you paint with to create true form. It can take time to find these colours because everyone's skin colour is individual and it can vary depending on their location and the time of day or year.
Oh adding the leopard print was a joy! (For real this time lol) I was making Maja a kitty! The folds of the sweater were painted using the three tones I mentioned earlier (highlight, mid-tone, and low tone or shadow). I find it best to start with an all over layer of mid-tone then to add highlight and shadow after, but this isn't true for all paintings. If this were a darker setting and the lighting wasn't almost directly in front of her, then I might layer directly from the low tones and build from there - to get the feel of light building in layers. And to be true to the original photo itself I paid attention to the difference in tone between her hands and her torso. Colours are not usually consistent throughout the whole body. They vary quite a bit.
Sweater is printed and left arm is tattooed successfully. I still have on more tattoo to add to her lower belly. This is officially my first time painting tattoos. Needless to say, I was quite nervous.
Again, success! I can chill out not a bit.
Now just for touch ups to the face and a background to make it complete.
And she is done! I kept a blue and hazy background to add to the darkness and mystery of her eyes and to not overwhelm the focus which is the body and her stance which is full of power and seduction.
And that was my process for painting Maja. Thank you for joining me on my journey as a self-taught artist. Stay tuned for many more journeys and inspirations coming soon.
T.R. Brownrigg xo