My painting process is a simple one. I sketch the image on the primed canvas with charcoal and, once it is looks mostly right, I solidify the charcoal lines with paint. Then I wash the whole canvas in a watered down color to remove all charcoal and give me a base on which to paint. Usually, that base tint is a fairly light color (most often a brown-yellow).
I am not sure what possessed me, but Harper's and Addie's portraits are under-painted in a dark brown-purple. While painting, I spent a good deal of my time struggling to "reclaim" the highlights. I paint in a very watercolor-like manner and depend on the layering of thinned colors for a depth effect, so the darker tint was complicating matters.
I fought the dark under-painting throughout the process but fell in love with the richness it created when I saw the finished works.
Though Harper and Addie are some pretty cute kids, Anika ranks up there with them.

To learn more about the making of these portraits, please visit my blog.