Seven Deadly Sins: Envy

Gerry Kelly came to Sarasota and gave a number of amazing demonstrations and presentations at the Illustration Academy. His project was illustrating one of the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride). Each student was assigned a number which corresponded with one of the seven sins. Mine was Envy.


1. Not everyone in the crow is happy for the bride.


2. There are only few who perform in the spotlight.


sketch. Georgie and Leah in the Academy posed for the scene. They were awesome models!


few changes in the foreground figure and tighter cropping.


value study in charcoal.


color studies. "Green with envy" was the overarching inspiration for all three studies. I did not feel quite right with any particular one, which happens often when I do color studies. In such cases, I usually move on and let the painting process inform my decision making. This time, I started and simultaneously worked on three separate paintings, two in full-color watercolor and one in black and white. As the paintings progressed, I decided to let go of color altogether, except for roses.


Finish in ink and watercolor. the roses were colored after I layered matte medium on top of the ink painting. I really enjoyed using ink which behaves differently from watercolor. Working on the lighting on the figure and texture of the costume was especially fun!