And another...with one color added!
 

Hi everyone, decided to take the plunge and add color to my palette. Hardly, I used white, black and venetian red. I spent a lot of time mixing, trying to get things right; not too red, not too black. It was a struggle.

Still not happy with my drawings, but don't want to take long doing them. Of the three of this model, this one came closest to her. If we have another multi-week model, I plan on sticking to one piece, rather than start a new one every week. Hopefully, I'll have better luck with the drawing and I'll feel more comfortable as I progress. I'll keep you guys informed. Thanks for looking.

You are cruising right along Jimmie! Keep it up :thumbsup:

Jimmie,
This is great, better than the last and the last was better than the one before!! I'm excited for you!

Each one keeps getting better, Jimmy.

Now all you have to do is add yellow ochre and you'll have the entire range of pigments that Rubens used for all his flesh tones. Now THAT'S a limited palette!

A masterful accomplishment for one so young!
 

A few tips. Keep the shadow side less cluttered. It is a temptation to want to add all those wonderful reflected lights, but keep the shadow area more restrained.

The neck length is generally 1/3 the length of the head. It is actually somewhat less, but that is a classical proportion and one Sargent used.

Thanks Kim, Pat, Michele, Sharon.

The teacher suggested the ochre, so I had planned on using it next week, thanks. Now Rubens painted some nice women. :cool:

Sharon, I did'nt even notice just how long the neck was. Must have been so preoccupied with the face, that I ignored everything else. After you mentioned it, I looked back at the original and thought, "It looks like those women that wear the rings around their neck." Ha.

Thanks again.

Yes, you and he both like them to be "Rubenesque"!

This link ought to keep you busy if you want to study his use of color. http://gallery.euroweb.hu/html/r/rubens/

You're doing better than you think. Building up the painting in layers is definitely the way to go. On the first session don't worry too much about the color. Try to get the drawing as accurate as possible. It will help you later on since the rightness of smaller shapes is contingent on correct larger shapes. As the painting progresses you can get smaller and smaller in your focus. Good luck.

Michele, thank you for the link!

Marvin, thanks for the advice. I'll take it easy as long as I know it'll be a multiple sitting. This girl sat for three sessions, and the class is well structured, so there's no wasting time. I think the teacher expects great things from me and has a tendency to try to rush me.

I'll do a weekly post so you guys can see if I'm heading in a good direction or just blowing it. :o

Jimmie,

We all expect great things from you!

One thing that I have noticed about myself, that when I paint from life is I have a tendency to rush. It is really better to SLOW down, almost to slow motion and consider every line you are putting down.

We sometimes assume speed is a important in producing drawings and paintings that look effortless, when often it is really careful and conscious deliberation, one aware stroke at a time.