Young Jean Cauvin-Umber Stage 1

I've concentrated on the darkest shadows using burnt umber. In this early stage, I used Liquin as a medium. I keep the layers of paint very thin and try to eliminate as many brush strokes as possible. The shadows in the clerestory is not easy to get right. Many shadows with changing shades of darkness. I'm not sure where the lines begin and where they end!

"Young Jean Cauvin"-Imprimatura

Imprimatura stage on new painting of well-known French Reformer John Calvin. Basically, at this early stage, I've drawn a "cartoon" of the image on the canvas with a ink-gel pen and then applied a very "thin" layer of an olive color mixture of oil paint. The painting at this stage is very 2-dimensional. The next stage I will concentrate on shadows and thereby take the painting into the appearance of three dimensions.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Finished! (Again...)

"Mrs. Geraldine Lawson"

24"x30" Oil on stretched canvas

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 9!

Details, details, details....

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 8

I've been refining details. This has been the most difficult part for me. Lots of guesswork!

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 7

Scumbled a flesh color over entire face, arms, and hand. These "back and forth" steps of highlights, shadows and overall foundations are essential in building form and luminosity. Also, scumbled highlights onto shirt. And I glazed shadows onto bottom left corner of theater curtain. Next step will be to re-establish shadows and highlights.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 6

Put "apple" back into cheeks, chin, nose, and ears. Glazed blue onto shirt, and yellow over entire seating area.