This is my 'back to watercolours" introductory painting of a child. Children are an absolute pleasure to draw because you can make them look as young and nauseatingly sweet as you possibly can and get away with it.

I have realised that this boy looks incredibly similar to Ariyan. It may be Freudian. I didn't originally intend this to be a child version of one of my characters, but as another distinct character. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe it's his son, a chip off the old block.

I know that boys and men don't like being associated with the colour purple, and the background did become less and less subtle as the painting progressed, but, well, he's only a boy, and he pulled it off alright, right?


Palette (W&N): Cerulean Blue (Cotman), Quinacridone Red, Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber (a little for the hair), Ivory Black (pupils only)

Paper: Cotman Watercolour Block, NOT/Cold pressed, 300gsm

(I'm poor so I'm using this thing that I bought 3 years ago)

Size: approx 10cm x 10 cm
It's a small painting, which is why you can't see things like eyelashes because the paper couldn't handle them.

Scanners do not like NOT paper (HP seems fine); or at least mine prefers to have everything flush against the glass bed and NOT paper has too many dips and crevices. So I ended up photographing this yesterday... (my camera is a year out)