Warm Heart Watercolor

I was recently asked to illustrate the phrase "Malawi: the warm heart of Africa". Due to a quick deadline, I decided to bust out the watercolors.

I hadn't used watercolors in well over 5 years, so it was fun to revisit the medium. I'll take you through the process below.

I began with a rough sketch:



I then washed in the skin tone:



Starting with the eyes, I began to focus on the details. I also darkened the darks and added rich medium tones. I love to approach painting as a sculptor would--shaping and constructing the face with color:

Continuing with details, I focus on the nose and mouth. Finally, I work on the ears, shirt and add final highlights to complete the painting seen above: