Boy in a Red Waistcoat

By Anne Denniss

I painted this three-quarter length portrait while studying Fine Art at ECA and Edinburgh University in my early twenties. My tutor then was Dame Elizabeth Blackadder.       

The study was done during a costume life class. The college had a large collection of costumes in the wardrobe that they would often use to dress their models in. I liked red and so of all the set ups we had this was one of my favourites. I used a series of very fine brushes to bring out the detail.

I painted in gouache with fine fluid sepia ink brush work on top and I used finger and thumb prints to help define the details. It’s one of my favourite works that I really enjoyed painting.