Frank Frazetta painted Madame Derringer in 1976. I don’t know what medium he used for it, but I know he often painted in gouache, so that’s how I chose to do mine. Gouache is similar to watercolors, but unlike watercolors, you can choose to apply it in opaque layers if you want. I started with a pencil sketch, then I redrew it from scratch on watercolor paper with a few corrections and improvements. Next I applied a thin coloring of gouache, and built up the painting in thicker layers. I also removed paint for highlights using just water on the brush, and then dabbing the wet spots with a paper towel. I used a butcher’s pan to hold and mix my palette, but I forgot to put down a damp paper towel first to keep the paint from drying out, so I had to keep rewetting it. I am very pleased with how it turned out, and it was nice to spend time walking in a master’s shoes, trying to figure out how and why he made each choice.
