Eye of the Beholder

5 x 5", watercolor, white gouache, and metallic paint

A gift for the Westmont Museum of Art exhibit, which is having an piece where various artists compose pieces on a piece of 5x5 watercolor paper that they send, complete with envelope, back. They will all be used to create one large piece altogether.

I think I've spent more time on this 5x5 piece of paper than I do on pieces far bigger than this, but I wanted this to be able to pop out while being viewed with other pieces.

However, in using metallic paint, it doesn't quite have the 'pop' it does in person. Thus, here, I have used a smidgen of Photoshop to replicate the effect as best I can with a textured dodge brush.

Some wonderful stock I used for reference/inspiration:
[link] by ~SilaynneStock (for how to render the iris)
[link] by *Tienna (For peacock feathers)
[link] by ~Dagwanoenyent-Stock (To see how to make a more luminous effect, color.)