Portrait number 37. Screwed up the hair shape a little but can see improvement in lifting out highlights. The trick is using toilet paper rather than (coarser) kitchen paper :)

Portrait # 36. Had to make up for the horror show this morning. Starting to get a bit more used to lifting out highlights as I go

Running really late so a bit of a cop out with this morning’s portrait. Ghoulish skin, sausage fingers and cauliflowers everywhere. This is number 35

Portrait #34. Screwed this one up by going over with fountain pen lines 🤔

Portrait #33. Not too happy with it. Been trying to figure out how to blend layers better so I don’t get such hard lines. This paper isn’t the best for moving paint around, but also I can’t quite figure out the timing 🤔

Todays portrait. Number 32. Another attempt at painting Minoli

Today - for the first time in years - I wandered around a bookshop trying to find something to read. I have a “to read” list in the hundreds, so I’m usually searching for something specific. This was great and makes me want to ditch the list

This mornings portrait! Number 31. Trying to see if I can experiment more with warm and cool colours to add value range

Portrait number 30! That’s one sketchbook half filled with portraits. Hopefully the next one won’t be so easy to cauliflower

Almost caught up! Portraits 28 and 29. These two didn’t really work. I’m still trying to figure out highlights/range of values with darker skin

More and more stories about people exonerated after years in prison/on death row. Yet I don’t really see increased doubt or reticence among politicians, or arguments our systems need a rethink www.theguardian.com/us-news/2…

Portrait number 27! Wasn’t patient enough to wait for it to properly dry between layers

Finally finished the big glob of Quinacridone Rose that was on my mixing tray! Can start playing with more colours 😅

Still trying to use up some of the colours in my palette! Portraits 25 and 26

Portrait 24! Probably the most convincing shading to create volume, so far. Although I went a bit too far on the neck

Portraits 22 and 23. Still unsure how to handle closed eyes

Just going to race through a bunch of portraits in the middle that I’m not too happy with. 14-21. This is the issue with painting one genre over and over 😅

Couple more portraits (12 and 13): these are two from Flickr. Hoping more monochrome portraits helps with improving values

Starting to suspect the colour lights next to the train station is timed so that we always miss the train

Portrait no 11 is of my wife Minoli. Probably one of the closest likenesses I’ve achieved but still not quite right 🤔

This is my favourite of the portraits so far. Number 10. My great uncle again. Feel like I captured some of his weird mix of playfulness and seriousness

Portraits 8 and 9: my Great Uncle came to visit. This whole portrait project actually started because I wanted to paint him a portrait but struggled to get a likeness

Getting a bit better at using the white of the page. Wonky fingers, though. Portraits 5, 6 and 7.

Really not a fan of the paper in this journal, but pressing on. Portraits 3 and 4

So, last month I started a project to fill two journals with watercolour portraits. Roughly ~120 portraits 😬 Here are 1 and 2