Kim: The rebellion.

[Debra Jones]

I thought you might visit if the excitement I had doing this piece was in the title.

I got into studio today and it looked like I had lucked out in having the summer doldrums let me have a model ALL to myself! So I got to set her up and have things my way.

I took a short blue gelled lamp and plunked the model ON the model, stand, not on a chair on the stand. I seem to always have short foreheads because they are above me. So I had the luxury of putting her almost at eye level. I also was much closer than usual.

I blocked her in with raw umber in the first 20 minutes but have begun taking charcoal to sketch first. Those five minutes making sure I have a pose, and committing it to MY desires, not chasing the model are making a really big improvement in my picture strategies.

Then after the break, I tried to lay in color and tone. The blue side was actually not much lighter than the ambient warmer light in the room, but I made a choice to emphasize the light and temperature for the drama. I didn't have the time to build a proper value color, so I simplified it for effect.

I took the first two shots because I had fear that she would move too much or I would blow it all together, blue and gold skin could turn into unglamorous mud in a hearbeat, but it didn't.

Here are my sketch - first twenty, Color and value block - second twenty, and finish at about 2:45 hours.