AT-HOME EXPERIENCE: MASTERPEACE PAINTING

Throughout lockdown, I have tried to develop my creative skills by completing different types of artwork including a personalised paint by numbers, a “Drink and Draw” live Zoom experience, and even creating a rug. It was now time to push myself out my comfort zone and try painting a piece originally created by Elena Gual. This painting focuses on skin tones, which was extremely challenging but I was willing to give it a go as there were clear step by step videos to guide me. 

Prior to lockdown I had never been very creative and always edged away from any arty experiences, but when my MasterPeace painting kit arrived, I couldn’t wait to get started. Inside the package was a completed picture of the piece I was going to paint as a guide, the canvas with the outline, paints, paintbrushes, a sponge, and a palette. I did find it abit daunting when I saw the canvas with the basic outlines as it looked extremely challenging and I was worried where I would start. 

Inside the box there was a website to go to, where I found the step by step guide to help me complete my painting. This was very useful and I don’t think I could have done it without the videos! 

As the outline of the women was very light, I decided to skip the first step and do the background at the end, as I didn’t want to end out not being able to see the outline and struggle with the rest of the painting. There were 5 steps altogether and each video lasted around 10 minutes, but I did have to keep stopping it in order to catch up. 

I began the painting by doing the shadows with the thin brush, started to sketch in her features and used the thicker brush for the darker, larger shadows, such as her hair. I then moved on to adding the mid tones and highlights; it really started to come together once this step was completed as her skin and hair was finished. 

After this I moved onto the lips, eye and flower which was probably my favourite step as I found the shading of the skin really difficult. 

The final step for me was filling in the background, which made the shape of the flower really stand out as it was white and you could barely see it until the blue background was completed. Although I struggled with the shading, I am very proud of the outcome and would happily challenge myself to another painting in the future. 

Thanks for reading!

I would like to thank MasterPeace for pushing me out of my comfort zone to paint this incredible image, that I am very proud of. This experience was £14 as it was half price, and I believe that this is great value for money as it kept me busy in lockdown for half a day. Now I have a beautiful painting that I am proud to say I did myself (with the help of the videos).