Course-Correcting a Close-Up

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Not every painting goes as planned, but Christine Misencik-Bunn confidently proves there’s always the opportunity to fix it along the way.

By Stefanie Laufersweiler

What sets watercolorist Christine Misencik-Bunn’s portrayals of people apart from those of other artists is her interest in the individuals she’s painting—a crucial element in all of her work. “That’s the thing that drives me to want to paint them,” the artist says. “I want to see depth, what’s inside a person. I have to ‘feel’ that person and their surroundings down to my soul. Otherwise, it’s just a likeness.”

Such is the case for Hold On (watercolor on paper, 28×21), the painting she created featuring her granddaughter, Emmerson, on a cold winter’s day.

Reference Photo

Emmerson and I had a conversation about feelings and struggles one day last winter. Immediately after, I asked her to pose outdoors. I took photos until I got the perfect one.

Step 1

I draw the image onto the paper. Using a nib pen, I apply masking fluid to stray strands of hair that will remain white. I add color to the sky and trees. I dampen the paper and apply a mix of cadmium red light and raw sienna. After applying two layers of paint, I work on the eyes; they’ll dictate the painting’s color scheme.

Step 2

I add gamboge in the hair as an undercoat. Using complementary colors, with ultramarine blue being dominant, I paint her hair. I mix an orange for the blanket and try combinations of Winsor green and alizarin crimson. For highlights, I tape around the area to be lifted, then remove color using a magic eraser.

Step 3

I scrub out the Winsor green using a dampened toothbrush and a stiff oil brush. I spray the paper and drop in ultramarine blue, followed by a mix of perylene maroon and burnt sienna.

Step 4

I crop an inch off the top of the image so the hand isn’t dead center, then add more detail to the fingers. I surround Emmerson with snow to create a feeling of protection and isolation.

Final Step

To push the hand into the blanket, I add fuzzy texture using a dry ¼-inch flat brush. I add more hair on the right side to guide the viewer’s eye around the hand and up to the face.

I add details, including a wash of gamboge to highlight some areas. What could have ended in disaster because of my initial frustrations with the centrally placed hand and the blanket color eventually came to a satisfying end.

About the Author

Stefanie Laufersweiler is a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and editor who has been writing about art and artists for years.

Meet the Artist

After earning a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from Miami University, in Ohio, Chris Misencik-Bunn began her career as a designer for American Greeting Cards. Soon after, she earned her master’s degree in education and realized her greatest joy was teaching in public schools, which she did for 30 years. A self-taught watercolor artist, she has been painting and entering competitions since 2011. She’s a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society, American Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society (Sylvan Grouse) and Ohio Watercolor Society, and holds Master Status in the Transparent Watercolor Society of America and Watercolor West.

Learn more about Christine Misencik-Bunn’s creative processes and see more of her paintings in the Winter 2024 issue of Watercolor Artist.