How to Paint

Difficulty: 4/5
Colours: Cadmium yellow, titanium white, primary cyan, mars black, brilliant red
Brushes: Medium flat brush, small round brush

Charles Blackman’s art is incredibly expressive and emotional – and this piece is no different. I think the hardest part of this painting for me was getting Alice’s face looking just right (even then, I’m not sure if I pulled it off!). It’s kind of a cross between disinterest and curiosity …I know, the irony.

Keep all colours vibrant, especially the blue. I used a Primary Cyan straight out of the tube to keep the colour intense. And just like Woman and Flowers, I found that painting light colours on a dark base worked well to recreate Blackman’s rough, sketchy paint strokes (look at Alice’s hair, and the table she stands on).

Read more about Blackman’s Alice in Wonderland series (there were approximately forty paintings!)