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I love drawing people, real people, made up people, ‘sort of’ people (fairies, monsters, characters, heroes, villains…), so when my mate Kazz was 60 I drew her  – in my own style. Luckily she loved it and asked me to do the same for her daughter Annalee, for her 30th Birthday … Kazz gave me several pics of Annalee

This is the one I chose to work from. Why? Because it’s so clear – It’s ‘light’ her head is slightly tilted – not full face (noses are so hard to draw face on), you can see her features very clearly  – her (very lovely) eyes are wide open and sparkly and her smile, much like The Mona Lisa, is enigmatic – NO teeth (teeth are also a feature that can make or break a portrait, if you don’t get them ‘just right’ … oh dear). 

Using an A2 piece of 300GM watercolour paper I sketched Annalee. I had a sort of ‘eastern’ vibe from her hair and decided to make the background ‘Jewelled’ by applying thick paste medium all around her – a mosaic –  to colour later.  

I covered her outline with frog tape which is easy-peel, and began to apply the paste using a stencil. You’d never get that effect without a stencil! Too intricate! Though actually using a stencil is quite ‘difficult’ as you can’t use it again and again, you can only use it once, then remove it, wash it and wait for the paste to dry before moving on the next bit, it takes HOURS – days… depending on the size of the painting. 

As you can see in the picture Annalee has a great sense of style, I think I’ve seen her hair every colour you can think of (except black) so whatever colour palette I was going to use, it had to match and compliment her purpley/pinkish hair.  I thought cadmiums – Yellow and orange, warm colours – as her hair is purple – a mostly cold colour, but with a hint of warmth, these colours would not only compliment her hair and complexion, but also give it that ‘eastern’ vibe I wanted. 
Once the paint had dried and I’d ‘blocked’ her in I began to apply the silver leaf. Recently, one of the TGOWA (that’s a toxic gatekeeper of Welsh art in case you’re wondering), told me that metal leaf is a ‘fad’ and ‘fashionable’… Nonsense! 
I’d discussed using it in this portrait to give it some ‘OOOMMPHH’, I do love metal leaf, It just gives some works a layer of… ‘otherness’.   

Once the silver leaf was fixed, dry and brushed, I started the actual painting of the portrait. Buidling it up bit by bit, while creating Annalee’s dress in a collage of 3D mediums, black tissue, black and purple Diamantes.

I also started to fill in the background to make it look jewelled. For this I used metallic paint, Gold Leaf and 3D liquid paint. 

I then checked that the portrait -actually LOOKED like Annalee! 
You can get caught up with all the painting and little things and when you come to look at what your painting – It’s a completely different person! GULP!

Annalee has a large flower Lily hair ornament and Her mum wanted a similar look, I had to trace the gap, and then cut out the flower petals exactly – I then painted the stamen using 3D gel. 2 bags of silver and gold leaf are in this portrait, but I do think its quite subtle. 

Once the portrait was finished, and the custom frame and mount had come, I then began work in ‘extending’ the mount. I’ve never seen another artist do this, and I do think it’s very effective and can really enhance the painting as a whole. 
For Annalee, I extended it with silver leaf and more mosaic 

Here she is!
Completed. 
Annalee took 3 months to create.