If you’re a Fresh Paint VIP student (which just means you pay annually rather than monthly), one of the extra benefits on offer is Ali Kay’s “Open Studio Hours”. She paints something — in this case, a portrait of her friend Gabby — filming it live, and VIP students can “chat” live with her. Templates for tracing are also available, but none of the typical guides offered in the official classes.

I wanted to do this portrait as a study to experiment with colors for fair-skinned people, and I think I’ve come up with something satisfactory. (Ironically, I had come up with skin color mixes for a range of skin colors about 2 years ago, and that was the basis for what I used for this portrait.)