“I Have Wings to Fly”

with Tracy Verdugo

Warming Up

Whenever we begin to work on a new subject it’s important to familiarise ourselves with our subject with a series of warm up sketches.

I encourage you to be looking more at the image than at your page and also to keep a loose relaxed grip on your drawing tool. Try various warm up sketches, continuous line drawing, blind contour, opposite hand, eyes closed. The objective is to become more at ease with the features on Frida’s face, the light and shade of your chosen reference image etc.

You can find many more reference images of Frida Kahlo in my Frida Pinterest board here. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/tracy_verdugo/frida/

Product List:

• Sheet of Watercolour paper (140lb cold pressed)• Sheet of Cartridge paper• Stabilo pencil• Tradio pentel pen or any black gel pen• Willow charcoal• Sketching pencil• White and gold gel pens (uniball signo is my favourite)• Watercolour pencils in your chosen color palette• Several Flat brushes (one inch and smaller)• Acrylic paints and inks in your chosen color palette.

I am using; • Holbein acryla gouache in ice green, turquoise blue, pale lavender, rose violet, orange, mustard• Golden Fluid in teal, Quinachridone magenta, Nickel azo gold• Matisse Australian sienna• Acrylic titanium white• FW Daler Rowney Acrylic ink in Paynes grey and white

Step-by-step: Onto our painting!

• Using a stabilo pencil lightly sketch in your image of Frida. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. We can adjust as we go.

• Using a small damp brush loosen the lines to create the light and shade that you see in your reference photo. Have a paper towel nearby to wipe off excess water and pigment.

• If you need to alter or adjust features you can use white ink in transparent layers. You might also want to use your black gel pen to define the more detailed features such as the eyes. In this piece I mix it up and use the gel pen to sketch in her scarf and jewellery. I like the contrast between the more bold and delicate line work.

• Pull some of the pigment out of the hair area to lightly sketch in the first indication of flowers.

Now we’re ready for some color!

For this tutorial I’ve chosen a triadic color scheme. This scheme uses any three colors on the wheel that are evenly spaced apart. There will be three colors in between each of the colors you choose.

I decide to work with red violet, blue greens/teals and warm yellow.

Let’s add that color!

• Begin to paint in the different shapes of the flowers and leaves, one color at a time and then layer on top with lighter highlights. Play with variations in size and shape. Use a watercolour pencil for variation of line and texture (flow versus hard edge).

• Bring in the whole range of your triadic colors, adding white to some of the mixes for contrast in lights and darks. Bring in the colors of the clothes and add some color to the face as a base.

• Once these base colors have dried you can then work with small amounts of white ink to add the highlights in. Work with a VERY light touch, hardly applying any pressure at all so that the white ink skims across the surface and doesn’t lift or mix with the stabilo pencil.

• This stage of a portrait is always for me a very “push and pull”, “back and forth” process. Focus in on each feature and squint your eyes to see the tonal shifts. Work with a small brush at this point until you’re happy with the form and dimension of her face.

• At this point I’m feeling quite tight again so I decide to shift gears and bring in the dark background with a strong loose application of Paynes grey acrylic ink. Leave some white space for a more dynamic energetic feel. With a small brush lift some of the dark ink from the background and deepen the hair, eyes etc.

~ Triadic Color Scheme~

• Bring one more application of white ink into the light areas in broad strokes then feather out the edges with a small brush. Each new ink wash application helps to smooth out the uneven tones of the layer beneath.

• Before you finish up you can use a white gel pen to add the tiniest highlights, for example around the eyes. You can also use a gold gel pen to add fun extra details; earrings, jewellery, line work in the floral headdress etc.

Hope you had fun painting your Frida! Please share in the group!

Lots of love, Tracy xo

Step-by-step: Onto our painting!

• Using a stabilo pencil lightly sketch in your image of Frida. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. We can adjust as we go.

• Using a small damp brush loosen the lines to create the light and shade that you see in your reference photo. Have a paper towel nearby to wipe off excess water and pigment.

• If you need to alter or adjust features you can use white ink in transparent layers. You might also want to use your black gel pen to define the more detailed features such as the eyes. In this piece I mix it up and use the gel pen to sketch in her scarf and jewellery. I like the contrast between the more bold and delicate line work.

• Pull some of the pigment out of the hair area to lightly sketch in the first indication of flowers.

Now we’re ready for some color!

For this tutorial I’ve chosen a triadic color scheme. This scheme uses any three colors on the wheel that are evenly spaced apart. There will be three colors in between each of the colors you choose.

I decide to work with red violet, blue greens/teals and warm yellow.

Let’s add that color!

• Begin to paint in the different shapes of the flowers and leaves, one color at a time and then layer on top with lighter highlights. Play with variations in size and shape. Use a watercolour pencil for variation of line and texture (flow versus hard edge).

• Bring in the whole range of your triadic colors, adding white to some of the mixes for contrast in lights and darks. Bring in the colors of the clothes and add some color to the face as a base.

• Once these base colors have dried you can then work with small amounts of white ink to add the highlights in. Work with a VERY light touch, hardly applying any pressure at all so that the white ink skims across the surface and doesn’t lift or mix with the stabilo pencil.

• This stage of a portrait is always for me a very “push and pull”, “back and forth” process. Focus in on each feature and squint your eyes to see the tonal shifts. Work with a small brush at this point until you’re happy with the form and dimension of her face.

• At this point I’m feeling quite tight again so I decide to shift gears and bring in the dark background with a strong loose application of Paynes grey acrylic ink. Leave some white space for a more dynamic energetic feel. With a small brush lift some of the dark ink from the background and deepen the hair, eyes etc.

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Your teacher: TRACY VERDUGO

Tracy is an inspiration instigator, prolific painter, bestselling author and lover of the written word, smitten traveller and soaker up of all that is beauty-full. She teaches her Paint Mojo and other creative workshops all over this amazing planet and reminds her students of the wonder that already resides within them. Her works are vibrant and filled with joy, inspired both by global trav-els and the simple beauty of the focused moment.

• Bring one more application of white ink into the light areas in broad strokes then feather out the edges with a small brush. Each new ink wash application helps to smooth out the uneven tones of the layer beneath.

• Before you finish up you can use a white gel pen to add the tiniest highlights, for example around the eyes. You can also use a gold gel pen to add fun extra details; earrings, jewellery, line work in the floral headdress etc.

Hope you had fun painting your Frida! Please share in the group!

Lots of love, Tracy xo