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AW-016



15" x 11", watercolour, 2002, private collection

This is a great example of my love of contrast that I was talking about in my post about Coke Addiction 3. Note that all the delicate highlights were not created by using opaque paints or inks; I'm just painting around the highlights with dark colours and allowing the paper (or very light watercolours) exposed. I don't feel those other methods are bad or "cheating," I just like to challenge myself without them first, then, if I mess up, I'll use white ink or acrylic.

I really liked the challenge of recreating the delicate side lighting around her glasses (and barely-visible shoulder) from the photo ref here so much, and it turned out so well, that I went further later on with AW-025 which gave me even more opportunity to paint that effect.

I took a whole bunch of pictures of Ashley in poses similar to this during that shoot and, aside from AW-015, she's wearing her glasses in all of them.



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