I have wanted to paint Frida Kahlo for a very long time and I just never did it. First, the subject is an actual person so there’s that. Just the thought of it always made me go in another direction and go back to subjects I have painted before. That cycle has ended now because I did it! My friend Christie asked me to be a guest artist on her YouTube channel and paint a Frida painting this month. I thought about it and I was fearful, wanted to avoid it like I have in the past but this fear was shrinking me, not expanding me.
I went for it and said yes and I’m so glad and grateful for the opportunity and that I stretched myself. I gave myself a short time limit (30 minutes) to look at reference material and understand what details are unique to her. She is so adorned with beautiful earrings and necklaces. She has beautiful rich colors in her dresses, layered styling and her hair accessories are bold and vibrant. I have always loved the florals in her hair so I wanted to include them, so gorgeous. My favorite subjects to paint are mermaids so I merged the two for this piece, Frida as a mermaid, pretty perfect to me. :)
I had fun and made new discoveries so this is a win for me. The biggest takeaway was painting the flowers and starting with the darker centers and then painting the surrounding petals instead of the reverse which just turns into a blur of mixed paint. When in doubt whether to take on a new challenge or say, “nah, not right now”, choose the first, it’s worth it!
Are you going paint Frida next? Christie is hosting a challenge this month on her Instagram page and you can join in and paint Frida in your style or just check out other artist’s work! All of the details are on her page.
Give it a go, I highly recommend! Don’t forget to watch, like and subscribe to Christie’s YouTube channel too, she is an amazing artist and teacher!
Frida Kahlo mermaid watercolor prints are available in the shop!
Interested in painting too? I have a watercolor guide with videos here! I share tips, tricks I wish I knew when I started painting.
xo,
Erika