This is the work so far on the duplicate.  (I have a blueberry apple pie in the oven and it should have been taken out fifteen minutes ago, so I’d better go check it.) I will just tell you quickly that there is an equal amount of work on both paintings and they look reasonably the same.  I had a lot of trouble at first because I did not stick to the grisaille under painting but instead tried to work with natural tones to preserve the sunny look.  It is now getting back to within workable limits though.  I will soon begin to strengthen the features and as I do, I will also strengthen the bright sunny light in the painting.  All the shadows are rich in color too.  Talk to you soon.  Diana

Here is the next step and soon I will post another.  It is challenging to work with a figure in shadow/backlit.  I am attempting to brighten it up without losing the quality of bright light.  I know that if you want brights you must have darks so I will darken the shadows carefully so they don’t jump out at you but still portray the sunshine well.  I want to diminish the importance of the background and so I am simplifying as many features there as possible.  The figure tells the story and is of utmost importance.  This child is eleven now and is an amazing artist already.  When she was two and three she would get so frustrated because her crayons would not do what she knew they should.  I would tell her, “Remember, you are fifteen or twenty in your brain but your hands are still only three years old!”  That did help her to be patient, at least it helped a little.  She now has more control and drawing ability than I do -seriously!”

I hope these painting examples are helping you with your portrait work.  I had no one to help me.  I worked for years doing everything wrong.  Even now I would like to solve some of my painting problems without so much trial and error but I can only do what I must because no one else has the same vision I do. No one can advise me on a way that would work with my methods. Most people do not understand how I work.

I am taking on a few  more commissions now that I am back to work again. When people ask me what I charge I usually direct them to the pricing of some other artists who have web sites.  They can compare the work, decide if my work is up to their standards and then make a fair offer for my time.  I usually try to keep the piece small and simple even though my own pieces are quite large and complicated.  I want to continue having clients who are pleased with their own private work of art.  My goal is to achieve a painting that portrays the spirit of the subject.  I will write more on this at a later date.

I am excited about this simple composition.  Here you can see my transfer of the drawing to the linen canvas.  I used a raw umber on the back of the drawing and placed it carefully to get it positioned just right.  I have a natural feel for the center of my paintings and always feel that something is wrong if I don’t get the composition in the right place.  Sometimes I have drawn the portrait on paper but then repositioned it differently on the canvas.  The photo references, which I took about six years ago, were taken on a brightly lit sunny day.  Therefore, not  only does the bright sunlight fall behind the child, but the reflected light is very colorful.  I must be on guard to get that right.  I do not normally use blue as a background color, but it did not seem appropriate to darken the background on a brightly lit day or to wash out the sky with white when there is so much light on the child’s clothing. Since there is such bright light, I decided to establish a lot of those brights first.  Normally, I would establish the skin tone in darks and lights before adding color, then move on to the clothing.  In this case, I wanted to get all the direct light, which is marked on the arm of the first photo but not shown in the second.  What you see in the second photo is direct sunlight falling over the shoulder from the back and going through the clothing, but on the face, that is just reflected light.  Even though her face is not lit directly, there needed to be a lot of light in it.  We will see how it develops. I have not detailed the background.  I hope to suggest the street and trees behind her but keep them muted.  Shalom, Diana I decided to add another photo.Sorry,  I didn’t realize I had not turned it.  But you can see all the lights here.

I am doing an experiment to see if I can add a blog from my iPad. I tried it once before and couldn’t download what I had prepared. Maybe this time it will work. Here I will try to add a photo.well, well. So far, so good. It took a minute but I was able to get the photo uploaded.

let me tell you a little bit about this image.  I took several photo images to use someday in the future for a painting. The pose and activity seemed like a good subject. Of course, other things intervened so I had This idea tucked away in a folder for a later date. Recently, I was realizing that my shortage of finished work because of the time involved with my aging uncle had put me in a position of not being able to enter some of my regular shows. Not only are my art friends disappointed, but also I feel a little pressure about the work I need to do. It was a stimulus for me to do some planning. there is a show coming up soon that has an opportunity for work to be chosen for an area art gala. They already bought one of my pieces and I have a goal for another work of mine to be chosen. Now it was necessary for me, not only to paint something for this show, but to choose a suitable subject of the best quality of composition and interest and also be able to complete it in time for the entry deadline. I went to my folder to make a choice and this is the sketch I compiled from the references. I will upload images as I work. Hope you enjoy this subject and artwork.

My husband was checking my website and informed me about all the many places that have viewers checking this site. Even Vatican City! Hello to you all. Also Bueno dia to you in Brazil y Otra hombres espanol. Me espanol no es Bueno pero es possible por mi hablar y entiendo un poco. Esta machina no quiero las leteras en espanol y decider hacer leteras diferente.

For now, that is all. Shalom, Diana