371 Portrait of Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the president of Portugal. Done in watercolors

This is Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the president of Portugal

This ended up really loose, and I sort of like it – there are some of the finer details that I’d like to have ajusted a little better. Talented watercolorists seem to somehow be able to make something that seems almost realist by just dabbing down a fat shade and twisting the brush a little (as you can hear, I have no real clue as to how this magic is made) I think that he could have used a little refinement in the eres, nose and mouth. But this is basically how I would like to use watercolors. “Attack” the paper and be quick about it.. Gaining something because of coincidence, and working intuitively.. I’d really really really like to get good at this.

Here’s where i found the photo

I just read a review of a John Singer Sargent exposition by Marc from the blog “Citizen Sketcher” than I enjoy following. I really like Sargent’s rebellious approach to watercolor.. He doesn’t follow the “rules” (as is there were any real rules in any art medium). In the article it says “He’s on record as a guy who’d rather re-paint a speedy execution twenty times than take 20 times as long to do it once.” – I really can relate!

Silva is part of my “Rulers of the World” series