Step 9

+The shirt is finished and I've finished the ears and mouth until the final adjustments. Lots more shadows to add to bring out the contours and get the values right. But it's starting to take shape now.

Step 8

This morning I worked mostly on the face building up colour, darkening values, and working out contours. The photo looks a lot more blotchy than in real life. One more layer to add to finish the shirt I think but still many glazes needed on the face.

Step 7

Another few hours work done. More work on the shirt (still more layers to go) and then I spent most of the time working out the contours of the face. It still looks very flat because I haven't gone dark enough but I needed to put in the underpainting to feel out where all the features go before going for the darks. Still many more layers to go but finally starting to look like something.

Step 6

Another few hours done today. I'm taking a little break and then I'll do some more. I've started the first washes on the skin tones, corrected more of the eyes, and put more colour in the shirt. The shirt won't end up this colour. I just needed to add layers of colour for depth.

step 5

Today I've finished the background unless there are corrections once the painting is almost finished. I also started the first washes in the eyes.

step 4

A few more hours work today. More work on the background building with still more glazes to apply there. I started to put the first under colours to the shirt (this won't be the final colour) and just starting to block in the eyes to see if they look right for proportion.

Man with a Vision step 3

A few more hours work on it this morning. The background has been covered with at least one wash of colour everywhere but many more layers of glazes yet before I can start on the portrait.

Man with a Vision - Step 2

Tday I decided on the painting plan (which areas to paint and in what order) and started with the first washes of colour in the background. The painting looks very cartoon like or like a colouring book at this point but many more washes of colour will give it the realism that I'm after. I have to let these washes dry completely before I go farther. The painting of the background has to be finished before I start the building and lastly the figure.

Commission

Now that the yard and garden are ready for summer I can get back to my painting. Here is the drawing with the masking fluid on it ready for the first washes. It is almost impossible to get a good photo of white paper with faint pencil lines and white masking but it will be clearer in coming entries.