Sheeba

[Claudemir Bonfim]

I hope you still like it after the major background adjustment.

Of course I do. That's so lovely.

[Patricia Joyce]

Lisa, this is my favorite of yours. The fleshtones are breathtaking and the sari is amazing. I would not only love to see this in person, but I would love to see you work - how many hours (or few I should say) did you put into this?

You are soaring lately

[Chris Saper]

Very lovely, Lisa. The background change was an excellent move.

When you changed the background, did you need to a lot of adjustment to the skin tones?

Congratulations!

[Lisa Ober]

Kim, I immediately thought of you when I started to change it! I remember thinking I would never go to the trouble of changing a background when I saw your last thread but lo and behold, that was a famous last thought.

Claudemir, thanks. I'm relieved. It's certainly more subtle.

Patricia, wow, I appreciate that! I was very happy with the skin tones so hearing that makes me feel good. By all means, drop on by. I would love to meet you. Should I put the coffee on now?

You know, this one is my first experiment with glazing/scumbling (I'm still working on the true definitions of each). Except for the little bit more drying time it didn't take that long. I did an underpainting which I never have done, followed by a few layers for color. The underpainting made adding color insanely easy. I probably have a good full day of work into it but it came in stages over a few days. I LOVED this method. It really fits my natural tendencies to pick away at details, etc.

I'm not sure I am soaring but my great prayer is that I continually improve even if it's like taking one step backward and then two steps forward. I want my growth chart to look like a good year for the stock market.

Chris, great question! That was at the top of my list. I worried more about that than anything else since I didn't want to rework the face. I had a decent likeness and feared losing it. Reworking it too much made me nervous. This one was an excellent mini-lesson in color theory. I had to think about what I was going to put on there. I don't know how well it shows, but the background has a lot of (albeit toned down) warm orange-ish/reddish color in it even though it reads as a pale green in general. Putting that in prevented me from causing Sheeba to turn orange. It was shocking to see the results. I put the two photos together and was stunned at how different the backgrounds affected the skin. I was amazed to see that her overall skin tone continued to read the same way. I really think the orange addition (though subtle) did the trick. I had trouble photographing the first version as the background kept throwing it off but the second version is quite accurate. I think the skin tones look pretty natural in spite of the change. I never would have guessed it. I was sure I was going to have to entirely re-work the face but as it turned out I didn't. Great question.

[Lisa Ober]

Darn it, Chris, I was so excited by your color theory question I forgot to thank you for the compliment. Thank you very much. Your words mean a lot to me. You inspire me.

[Lacey Lewis]

I love it, Lisa! I like the new background is much better, and I think the shadowed side of her face looks somehow even better now.

Would you mind telling me what you used as the underpainting? Was it monochromatic? Did you do use transparent shadows and opaque lights and let some of the underpainting show through or did you cover it completely? I ask because I did an underpainting a couple of times but ended up painting as I usually do on top, so I am not sure what affect the underpainting really had for me but I'd like to try again and be a bit more disceplined about it.

[Brenda Ellis]

Okay, Lisa. You are already the Goddess of Pastels. Are you going for the triple crown here? (Not sure what the third one would be.)
This is lovely. The expression is wonderful. The sequins are amazing. The background is just perfect now.
What everyone else said times infinity.

[Lisa Ober]

Hi Lacey. Thanks! Glad you like it better.

Yes, the background was monochromatic. I used a mix of sepia and white. If I remember correctly I threw in a tiny bit of ingigo (these are Holbein colors). The underpainting was very opaque but not thick. In fact it was quite smooth.

When I started applying color I oiled out first and then applied very thin layers of color starting with the shadow colors, moving to the mid tones. The paint application was almost transparent so the underpainting retained the values for me by showing through. I found this to make things so easy. As long as the underpainting is accurate in proportion and value you are in pretty good shape. If it isn't you are in big trouble. As I moved through the painting I worked my way to the highlights for the last and in my opinion most rewarding step. Eventually by adding additional layers of paint/medium, you do end up losing the underpainting to a degree but not until your final touches. It sounds like a tedious process but it really wasn't. I enjoyed it even as impatient as I am. Normally I am alla prima all the way but I am starting to like this method. I hope that answers your questions. Thanks again.

[Lisa Ober]

Brenda, Goddess of Compliments, Master of Ego Stroking, what a gigantic and undeserved compliment! You almost had me convinced! LOL. But seriously, thank you SO much. I am totally relieved you like the background. I do like Sheeba's expression. She's so sweet. Sequins are a piece of cake. They were actually fun. I thought they would be hard to do but nah, they're pretty simple.

I am infinitely humbled by your comments. You made my day! Can I call you when I am having a rotten day?

[Tricia Migdoll]

Wow from me too.

You are sooooo good.!