what i learned in watercolor class

this was my final project for my watercolor class--use a photo that has some cultural significance (to me) and make a watercolor of it. i chose an old photograph of my grandfather bill and my uncle jerry:

here is a bit of the in-progress watercolor, with some of the exposed drawing:

and here's how it turned out:

overall, i'm very happy with the results. i made quite a few freehand sketches beforehand, some in pencil, some in very basic color. in the process of sketching, i decided to omit my cousin (lori or jennifer?) in the bottom right corner, as it just made more sense compositionally. i also wanted to emphasize the "dialogue" between the two men, and the omission seemed to help with that.

by the way, i really enjoyed doing this piece, and i would love to continue to work in this fashion. if you would like to send me a picture--of you, your family, or your pets--i would be glad to do a watercolor of said picture for you. it would make an excellent, original, unexpected gift, or you could simply get one for yourself to enjoy. i would, of course, require a fee for services rendered, but such things are certainly negotiable, depending on the size and elaborateness of the piece.