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.

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 5

I've "scumbled" lighter opaque colors this evening. This is the opposite of glazing where you apply transparent dark colors. Scumbling builds "form." The obvious change on this layer is the scumbled light on her face. But I've also scumbled light on the columns on the sides and on the highlights of her shirt.

I've also glazed some a very dark crimson/scarlet mixture onto the curtains. In my opinion, they're looking a lot better than what they did, and I'm not sure if I'll do a lot more to them, other than glazing a dark color into some of the shadows and highlights on the folds.

And I've repainted the chairs and hepefully, receded them into the distance a bit. Details, and more, more details...but I love it!

Mrs. Geraldine Lawson-Color Stage 4

I've re-established shadows on this stage. It is a very necessary step. If I don't do it, I'll easily lose my place as I continue to build "light" upon the subject. Next step will be to bring "light" into the painting using Naples Yellow.

Also, on a side note, if you notice, I've glazed "blue" color onto her neck. A truly classical painting will have blue on the neck, red on the face and yellow on the forehead. I don't know why this makes it look nice but it works!

My wife wanted me to mow grass this evening, but I had too much fun painting this!

I glazed flesh color over skin. Although I lose definition, I gain luminosity. My next step will be to glaze "cool" shadows onto face and re-establish dimensionality. I defined the blue shirt with shadows and highlights, and put some shadows into folds of stage curtain. And I defined shadows in side columns and brought more details into seats.