Travel Days Series - Jaipur, India

Our next art destination is one that has been on my bucket list for some time… Jaipur, India or “the Land of the Kings”. This area is flooded with royal palaces and gardens. The streets were originally designed for flair or royal celebrations. The entire city was painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales. Inside the palaces, the designs are ornate and rich in color and detail. I will be doing a combination of architecture and portraiture through my art journal spread working in limited materials - pencil, stabilo, gouache, and post pens (visit our supply list below with links).

For the color palette, I looked to the interior of the palaces and to the rich textiles. There were so many different directions to go with this palette. Jewel tones, the pink of the exterior of the building, gilded gold from the doors and jewelry. I opted for a palette inspired by the interior of the palace. A mix of warm and cool colors with a couple more subtle and muted colors to balance out the vibrant saffron and turquoise colors. Still not sure what colors to use? Look to Pinterest or our Unsplash photo collection and see if there are any colors calling to you inspired by Jaipur.

For the portrait, I started with a black and white drawing with pencil and Stabilo. Stabilo is a water soluble material so when you add water you can move it around almost like a watercolor. You can add depth and shadows with your water layers. Then, I will be painting over the drawing with an acryla gouache. Gouache is an opaque pigment so you can easily layer over it. The more water you add, the more it looks like a watercolor or wash and the less water the more saturated the pigment almost like an acrylic. This paint is quick drying and one of my favorites to use on the go. I also love that once dried on your palette, you can reactivate it with water again so you don’t waste your materials which can be particularly helpful when you travel.

I also wanted to exaggerate the angle of her face so I elongated her neck and added a more dramatic tilt compared to the photograph to add some interest. Finally, I created shapes and forms using a variety of colors from my palette. This helps to create dimension within her face and the bold colors add a little more flair or character.

For the architecture piece, I will be doing very little drawing compared to the portrait and instead jump right in with my gouache. I will be using brushstrokes and contrasting warm and cool colors to create the illusion of all the ornate detailing shown on this doorway. Using a round brush, I will fan out the peacock like design going from small to large brushstrokes as I get to the outer edges. The round brush mimics a similar shape to the design shown in the photograph without spending an excess amount of time on the details.

Other details fill the palaces such as lotus flower walls, detailed gilded doors, sculptures, and arches. There is so much inspiration to find within Jaipur. I could look at the gorgeous archictecrute and textile designs of India forever! For more to inspire visit our Unsplash collection below.