Taratories Blog

Made in London

This past week I decided to do a little self portrait inspired by my birthplace which is London.  I was born and raised in England and moved to the States when I was 10 years old.  Even though now I am a US citizen, England will always hold a special place in my heart.  I used watercolor paper because I was going to do the sketch of myself in pencil, and paint the background with watercolors. At first, I was irritated by the texture of the paper when I was drawing my face, but as time went on I grew to enjoy the texture.  I think it adds some dimension to the drawing.

Two of my favorite things in the world to draw are 1. hair, and 2. fabric.  They are similar in ways to me.  They seem to be alike in the way that they flow and fold.  With both, the depth of the layers create contrast depending on how the light hit the different areas.  I love drawing these layers!

I have worked with watercolor for many years, but I have not spent much time using watercolors with the wet-on-wet technique.  With this technique you apply a layer of water on the paper and then apply the paint onto that layer creating more of a free flowing affect.  I just love the spontaneity of this technique and I plan on experimenting more with this way of painting in the near future!  To add to this spontaneous look, I splattered my watercolor paint in the background and also on my dress.  I have never done the splattering before and it was really messy but really fun!   

I wanted to make it look like I painted the Union Jack behind myself which is why I included the paint brushes in my hands and added the splatters on my clothes.  I am really happy with the way this turned out and I hope to do more again!  I am now taking commissions, so if you are interested in having your portrait drawn in front of your homeland painted flag please contact me through my website or at taratories@gmail.com.

"Made in London" 9X12 by Tara Deetscreek 

"Made in London" 9X12 by Tara Deetscreek