I have not posted for a while and I send my apologies. Sophia in blue was entered in the most recent show and i also had to decide if I could enter the Mr. rogers show in Latrobe. Sophia was not completed but in spite of that, the entry took second place. now our group is asking for entries for the fall show so I am making an effort to finish this self portrait. i had begun it to have a portrait with good light to use as a demo for my students. i do not like to paint with a time schedule. Now that I have a double commission, i will not try to keep up. Sorry, guys, it is just not conducive to good art work.

in this painting, i want to talk about the application of the layers os flesh. I will try to get several other photos posted. Study them and recognize this important fact; after you apply the transparent layer of flesh color and gel, then you must mold it as if you are carving in stone, using white or another choice of skin tone in order to use light to create the dimension. The most difficult thing to learn is developing the touch and finesse to have varying degrees of thickness in the application of this layer. Remember that even the dark areas of flesh must have ’skin’ on them and so if you miss an area, it will look as though it does not fit into the picture. Areas of flesh that are in deep shadow often look dirty. This is usually because the process of applying a whisper of white or skin tone has been missed.

I will try to get these other images attached. i will also try to label their order. Don’ forget that this is the group of layers that will always look blotchy until there is a build up. Painting in these layers is what produces the supple looking and vibrant, alive look to the portrait. stay well and good painting! Diana