Presence — Two Years of Research Through a Lion

Two years ago, I started a project that would eventually become Présence.

At the time, I had just discovered the work of Nicholas Lopez, and I was completely fascinated by granulation in watercolor. I loved the way the pigments created almost living, organic textures. Seeing some of his work gave me an idea: to paint a lion's mane using the natural texture of granulation.

Attempt after only 2 years of watercolor painting experience

The problem is that I had only been painting for two years.

I had chosen a color that looked perfect on paper… but it was opaque. It didn't blend well with the granular sepia I was using, and honestly, I didn't yet know how to solve that kind of technical problem. After a few tentative attempts, I finally abandoned the project.

Then, this spring, everything changed.

I took a workshop with Yesim Meltem Gozukara through L'Atelier d'Aquarelle Le Partage, my watercolor association. And then: eureka! Something clicked. I finally understood how to approach what I'd been trying to do for two years.

So I brought my lion out again.

Trial 1 — Too Much of Everything

Présence- 1st attempt

My first real attempt was far too intense. I didn't really have a specific plan, other than "making the mane grainy." As a result, there was so much texture and movement that you didn't know where to look.

I had also added a grey background, which, instead of supporting the subject, detracted from the composition and distracted the eye.

Trial 2 — Better, but Still Scattered

Présence, 2nd attempt

For the second attempt, I reduced the intensity of the colors and decided to keep a white background. I added mane extensions that seemed to be flying in the wind.

The palette worked much better, but there was still too much texture everywhere. The eye didn't linger long enough on the lion's eye, which was meant to be the focal point.

Trial 3 — Understanding Values

I then resumed my studies of values.

Présence, 3rd attempt

This step was a turning point. I started making more intentional decisions about where the granulation actually needed to exist. The flying strands of hair ultimately added nothing to the composition, so I chose to lose them.

From the third attempt onwards, the work finally began to resemble what I had in mind.

Trial 4 — Moving to Half-Sheet

So I dared to switch to the half-sheet format.

Even though the mane was still slightly over-textured and some of the value transitions were not yet fully resolved, this version remains one of my favorites because of the energy it carries.

Présence, 4th attempt

Trial 5 — The Big Leap: 22 x 30

For the fifth attempt, I switched to the full 22 x 30 format.

I had never painted at that scale before. Wet-on-wet techniques on large paper demand a completely different level of speed, confidence, and commitment than smaller formats.

And yet… I was incredibly proud of the result.

Still, something bothered me. The lion felt too “brushed,” almost too illustrative. It reminded me a little too much of a Disney-style rendering. I wanted something more fluid, atmospheric, and alive.

Présence, 5th attempt

Trial 6 — Getting Lost to Understand

That was the direction I explored in the sixth attempt.

But my values were not strong enough, and I began struggling with decisions, especially around the mouth area. I no longer knew what to simplify, what to lose, or what to define.

The transitions still lacked fluidity.

But often, those are the moments where the most learning happens.

Présence, 6e essai

Essay 7 — The Discovery of Edges

Around that time, I had just begun learning about edges.

So I started a seventh attempt to push my understanding even further — lost and found edges, transitions, and the idea that forms can emerge instead of being fully drawn.

And then one morning, something unexpected happened.

I woke up, and my fifth attempt was still sitting on my easel. The shadows from the curtains were falling directly across the lion, and suddenly, it had a body. A presence. It felt grounded in space.

I instantly realized that the shadow added something essential to the composition.

I tested the idea on Attempt 6… and loved the result. It anchored the lion and gave it a much stronger physical presence.

So I carried that discovery into Attempt 7.

Présence , final attempt

The end of an era

Trial 7 is not perfect.

But I sincerely believe that I have learned everything that this subject needed to teach me.

Granulation. Values. Edges. Focal point. Transitions. Movement. Simplification.

Each version allowed me to understand something that the previous one could not yet reveal.

And now, it's time to move on.

Or almost.

Because deep down… I never completely left that lion behind.

My next project, Passage, was born directly from this exploration.

This time, it will be a different topic — but with everything that Presence has taught me.

Royalty-free reference photo that will inspire Passage