Watercolor House Portrait

I love my dentist for several reasons.  He has taken great care of my teeth.  And he has been a big supporter of my art.  So when he contacted me recently about commissioning a watercolor house portrait for his son I immediately said yes. 

I usually like to take my own photos of a house I am going to draw.  But my dentist's son lives in another state.  His son sent me lots of images of the house and I was able to use google maps to get additional photos.  Sometimes google has old images of the house in different seasons which can be helpful.  Below you can see the black and white drawing.

For this particular portrait I shaved down the crepe myrtle just a smidge so we could see the house better.  I also drew the crepe myrtle just as it was starting to bloom even though my reference photos were either in full bloom or pre-bloom.  I almost always "tidy up" the landscaping to my liking, while keeping the bones of what is truly there.

Below is a 60 second video of me painting the house portrait.  Turn on your volume (Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay)!

 It never ceases to amaze me that as I study and draw a house and its landscaping, the character of both slowly emerges.  There is an interplay between the house and the plants that surround it.  And as I painted them I felt the straight lines and orderliness of the house was perfectly accented by the organic shapes of trees and shrubs.  Somehow the connection between the two felt joyful to me.

"The house posed in her finest spring dress of shrubs, crepe myrtle, and Japanese maple...

the smell of fresh grass and pine came to mind."  

Tomorrow my dentist is coming to pick up the portrait and will bring it to his son in an upcoming visit.  I hope they are both pleased with the  results of my efforts.  It is always a pleasure to become familiar with a house by drawing its every detail and to intimately know a bit more of this beautiful world.