Alex -- Yes, it is so affirming when a family calls back wanting more of your work.
I've done it both ways with patterns. . . If theres a fairly solid ground color it can be easier to paint the ground with lights and shadow then sort of glaze on the pattern. For this one, the fabric itself was more of a mosaic of colors and the way the light shone on the fabric would change the color from warm to cool and somewhat obscure the pattern as well. . . so I approached it more organically. . . sort of marking in placement of the pattern for an area, dealing with color and value for that area then 'growing' it into adjacent areas. I've got a 'work in progress' page that shows some of that
here. (Please ignore that pointy chin throughout most of the wip. . . I didn't want to get sidetracked with finishing/correcting his features until I'd gotten the bulk of the background in!)
John -- Thanks so much!
