Other than the prep work involved (writing and deciding on symbols to use), this piece took very little time to complete...surprisingly. The color was done with watered-down acrylic. I love the translucent effect of the paint this way. The piece has gold paint and gel pen highlights as well as white Posca pen dots. In case you're wondering, no this isn't a self-portrait (ha, ha). About the art instructor, Shiloh Sophia. She has very interesting creative methods (using line in suggestive ways), a totally unique approach and a very free paint style. It makes me want to work on much larger canvases and do more. This was dome on 12"x18" watercolor paper though I can envision working this way on 3'x5' stretched canvases. Maybe I'll try that this winter! This piece was created through a class offered by Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts Ltd. For more information, visit this link: www.willowing.org . This post also linked to http://ninamarie