One of my watercolor portrait using a more "natural" color palette. Not my California Vibe style, but it is bright and cheerful. Painted on 140lb. cold press, rough watercolor paper, full sheet.

Top watercolor portrait is a preliminary study painted on a 12 by 16 inch sheet of 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. The final portrait was painted on a 22 by 30 inch sheet of 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. Painting studies helps to familiarize yourself with your subject in terms of value shapes and what your color choices will be. This process really helps when one is working in watercolor! Notice my expressive use of not only color but brush strokes (especially in the hair). Watercolor rocks!!! By the way, this is a good example of my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture style that I teach both in California and across the country. 

Glorious Hair!

This is my first entry into the international American Watercolor Society show. Think it has a chance for being judged in?

Same image as previous post but in acrylic

Unlike the medium of watercolor, an opaque medium like my acrylic piece here does not demand the greater degree of pre-planning.

All mediums have a painting logic and ESPECIALLY WATERCOLOR

The transparent medium of watercolor, more than any other painting medium, demands planning your painting sequence from the get go. Here is a good example. I will be conducting this workshop after my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture workshop that I will be teaching next week in St. George, Utah (under the auspices of the Dixie Watercolor Society in St. George).

Three recent watercolor portraits

All three watercolor portraits were painted on 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper, 11 by 15 inches in size. The black gentleman was painted mostly wet-on-wet in about thirty minutes. The gentleman holding the camera was painted mostly wet-on-dry over the coarse of three days in one to two hour sessions. The female subject was watercolored equally wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry over two days in about one hour sessions. I teach three to five day portrait workshops both in California and out-of-state. Please contact me at davidlobenberg@me.com with inquires. My next "California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture" workshop is scheduled for October 12 to 15 for the Dixie Watercolor Society in St. George, Utah.

Wet-On-Wet Watercolor Portrait

This is a 15 minute wet-on-wet quick portrait study I just completed. It was watercolored on a quarter sheet of 140lb. Fabriano cold press, rough watercolor paper. A large Utrecht cat's tongue was used.

California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture in the Heart of Silicon Valley

Last week I was in Cupertino, California (in the heart of Silicon Valley) giving one of my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture demonstrations for the Cupertino Fine Arts League. In the first photo, I am showing the audience a quarter sheet selfie that was exhibited in the first International Watermedia Exhibition in Bangkok, Thailand last year. The second photo shows me power spritzing the start of the CA Vibe self portrait that I had started. After an hour or so of painting and fielding a lot of questions, this is as far as I got. The audience gave me a good round of applause and figured that I had completed the watercolor. I went back to my hotel room to evaluate it after the demo and said "it ain't done". The following day, back at my studio in Sacramento, I spent about another half hour or there-abouts to bring my selfie to completion. Remember dear readers, if you want me to conduct one of my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture workshops in your neck of the woods, please contact me for details.

Swipe on blue and finish portrait

First I took a four inch wide flat brush and swiped a random ultramarine blue stroke from top to bottom in direction. Towards the bottom, my swipe went to dry brush. This was not intended but worked out quite well within the mouth area. The sunglasses and facial features were painted on top of the blue swipe to make a very interesting combination of texture and expressive color.

"Musico Mexicano" Watercolor Step-By-Step

Watercolored recently on a sheet of 11 by 15 inch, 140lb., cold press watercolor paper. An example of my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture technique. I teach three, four, and five day workshops both here in California and out-of-state. This coming October 12 to 15, I will be conducting my California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture workshop for the Dixie Watercolor Society in St. George, Utah. I welcome inquires about scheduling my workshop from any and all art groups.

Local PBS Telivision personality Rob Stewart (Rob On The Road show)

Watercolor portrait painted on a half sheet of Saunder's 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper. About four hours of hard (but challenging and fun!) work.

Got Style?

Another of my recent step-by-step California Vibe watercolor portraits. Painted on a quarter sheet of 140 lb. cold press paper.

Demonstration and Workshop for the Western Society of Artists

These are two quarter sheet watercolor styles that I will be painting in for a demonstration this coming Saturday at the Western Society of Artists in the San Francisco bay area. I will follow this up in July, by conducting my three-day "California Vibe Watercolor Portraiture" workshop for them. I am always on the lookout for art groups that offer workshops and bring in out-of-state artists. If you know of such groups, please let me know. The top watercolor was first painted with a free-form, full abstract background and the male model was then painted on top to finish the piece. The bottom portrait was done in the same manner with opaque conte crayon added on the face. Using all sorts of different mediums and tools is part of my California Vibe style.