This was a gesso panel, and I loved it. I like very smooth surfaces for drawing/painting, particularly because I paint children most of the time. I don't like to add the dimension of the weave to the texture of the skin. I am definitely going to order more of these panels!
I also noticed the line of the trees and the hair, but not until after it was done (duh!). I think I will change it. In the reference photo, that line comes in to the level of his eye as opposed to the hair. I'm not sure what I will do with it exactly. Any suggestions? I had always wanted to paint this little scene, but it is just a snapshot and so I decided it was perfect for this tiny experiment.
