From the Aquarellista Headquarters 2

Although there is not as much time as I hoped for (because my artist bro Pim had to go to hospital and I’m taking over his classes for the rest of the month and April, lots of planning and general distraction)  – I am slowly working on the portrait commission, and ‘the thing’ is already happening: I fall in love with my subject. I am thinking about him and his features all the time. By the way, this always happens to me! Boys, girls, old, young- as long as it has a heartbeat, I love it deeply during the making of the painting! It is probably what the term ‘muse’ is all about… Anyway – a remark on my work is sometimes that I show a much too ‘loving’ image – and the above is probably why! Can’t help it! Maybe I should someday paint somebody that I don’t like – as a test…
OK – here’s a picture of the basic sketch:

very thin , with a HB pencil on the Arches torchon, so that the drawing will hardly be visible on the painting when it is finished.

And then the first wash  of his face, without much detail and contrast – but definitely with a likeness to, euh… my muse!