As those of you who follow this blog probably know, my favorite medium to illustrate is watercolor. However, I do also like to sketch in pencil sometimes, and today, after a long hiatus, I got reacquainted with Photoshop. Though technically I do use Photoshop all the time to lighten and resize images, and clean them up (from stray pencil or ink marks), it’s been years since I used it to paint. I used to find all the different tools, like endless choices of brush marks and filters, intimidating, and I admit I still do. But I’ve decided 2012 is going to be the year I stop letting fear and self-doubt get in the way of anything I want to try, and that’s true of my goals both large and small.
So here it is, a portrait of Louise Ebel, the lovely French fashion blogger behind Pandora. I first posted the sketch in pencil only here, but have since updated it with the addition of a border with ornamental roses and pops of color, courtesy of virtual paint brushes and light filters.