Matteo step 5

Another few hours work this morning. By raising the upper lid on one eye by only a millimeter the painting looks much less sad. I worked all over the face correcting colour and value and blurring edges but I still have a lot of work to do on corrections. I also laid in the first under painting on his cheek and lips. You can tell I have given up on the alla prima technique I was trying and have gone back to my usual way of applying multiple glazes of colour. I'm enjoying the oil paint results but still just feeling my way getting used to a new medium.

Matteo step 4

Another couple of hours work done on this. I got the background done then started working on the parts of the face already done correcting colours and values. Lots of corrections still needed but it's slowly coming along. The main problem I see right now is that he looks too sad. A slight change in the cheek shading and a lift center of the eyelid will fix that as well as the mouth when I work on that.

Matteo step 3

Another few hours work on this. I've already reverted back to my usual way of painting with oils. My reference photo wasn't good enough to see clearly for matching colour as I go so I am back to getting the values right and close to the right colour, then I'll go over it later with glazes for the corrections.

Matteo step 2

First day of painting. It's slow going but fun. This is after 3 hours.

Matteo

I've started something a little different for me. It's an oil painting of one of my grandsons but not done in the traditional way. I am going to attempt to do this alla prima which means going over the painting a small area at a time and putting the exact paint colour (value, and chroma) in that particular spot and as I go it leaves a finished painting behind that needs very little correcting. That is my intention, anyway.

It is fairly small (8x10") and on wooden cradleboard with gesso. The drawing was made then I have sealed it so the graphite won't move.

Finished Man with a Vision

Another three hours work this afternoon and I'm pretty confident it's finished. I added a pale yellow wash over the whole painting so it looks like it is late afternoon. I'll leave it overnight and look with fresh eyes in the morning in case I see any corrections. Then I just have to apply the protective finish and the hanging hardware.

Step 10

I worked awhile longer on this last night. I'm working on glazing in the darks to correct the values in the skin tones. Still a lot of layers to go.