Studio Log: Gouache Portrait Study – Practicing Facial Plane Shifts and Light

Artist shares gouache portrait study "Unguarded" - exploring facial plane shifts, light, and color temperature in quick painting practice.

Studio flat lay showing the gouache painting 'Unguarded' - an 8x8 inch portrait of a woman with expressive eyes and red lips, painted in vibrant blues, oranges, and warm skin tones on watercolor paper. The painting is surrounded by art supplies including a well-used watercolor palette with colorful paint wells, a palette knife, and small containers of mixed paint, all arranged on a white surface.
Studio flat lay showing the gouache painting 'Unguarded' - an 8x8 inch portrait of a woman with expressive eyes and red lips, painted in vibrant blues, oranges, and warm skin tones on watercolor paper. The painting is surrounded by art supplies including a well-used watercolor palette with colorful paint wells, a palette knife, and small containers of mixed paint, all arranged on a white surface.
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Working through another gouache study today – this time focusing on those tricky plane shifts that happen around the cheekbones and jaw. There’s something about the way light wraps around facial structure that I’m still trying to fully grasp. I’ve been pushing myself to really see the temperature changes too, not just the value shifts.

The gouache painting 'Unguarded' displayed on a neutral linen background, showing the 8x8 inch portrait on watercolor paper with a white border. The expressive woman's face is rendered in vibrant turquoise and teal tones contrasted with warm peachy skin and bold red lips. Loose, gestural brushstrokes create texture throughout the piece, with orange and red accents adding energy to the composition. The artist's white signature appears in the bottom right corner of this intimate, emotionally charged portrait.

This little 8×8 piece happened pretty quickly, maybe an hour of concentrated work. I’m calling it “Unguarded” because there’s something raw about working fast with gouache – you can’t really go back and fuss with it the way you can with oils. What you put down is what you get, and maybe that’s exactly what I need right now to break through some of these technical hurdles I’ve been wrestling with.

A hand holds the completed gouache painting 'Unguarded' against a white background, showing the full 8x8 inch artwork on watercolor paper. The expressive portrait of a woman features bold brushstrokes in turquoise, orange, and warm skin tones, with her direct gaze and red lips as focal points. The artist's signature is visible in white in the bottom right corner. The hand holding the piece gives scale to the intimate size of this vibrant, textural portrait.

The color mixing felt more intuitive this time, especially in the shadow areas where I let some of that turquoise creep into the skin tones. Still have a long way to go with portraits, but each study teaches me something new about how faces actually work in light.

Styled flat lay featuring the gouache painting 'Unguarded' on a cream background, beautifully framed by delicate eucalyptus branches at the top and three fine artist brushes with wooden handles at the bottom. The 8x8 inch portrait on watercolor paper shows a woman with striking eyes and red lips painted in vibrant turquoise, orange, and warm flesh tones. The natural styling elements complement the organic, expressive brushwork of the portrait, creating an elegant presentation that showcases both the artwork and the artist's tools.

Interested in buying this piece? I’m offering some of my studies in my GoImagine store. Check it out on GoImagine.

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