1 Paint First Layers
Your base layers should be painted mostly in a wet-on-wet technique. Start with your lightest colors. Be sure to preserve white areas (like the whites of the eyes) with masking fluid.
When painting a portrait, you can paint most of the skin and hair wet on wet so your edges are soft. Use hard, more defined edges for the features, as I did in this simple self-portrait.
Your base layers should be painted mostly in a wet-on-wet technique. Start with your lightest colors. Be sure to preserve white areas (like the whites of the eyes) with masking fluid.
Add your darkest colors now, continuing to work wet on wet and keeping your edges soft.
Paint the facial features wet on dry to ensure definition. Allow all the paint to dry.
Remove the masking fluid and soften any resulting harsh edges by scrubbing softly with a stiff brush and water. Paint the background of your portrait as desired. (My background is painted directly with areas of color applied wet on dry.)
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SELF PORTRAIT AT THE WINDOW
Watercolor on paper
11" × 9" (28cm × 23cm)