Back to the Marathon!

*tap tap* Is this thing on?  *cough! ahem.*

Oh, hi!

I haven't forgotten about y'all, or the marathon I left hanging before the holidays.  See?  Here's Bella, in progress.  Too funny, huh?  She's going to be colorful, very, when I'm done with her.

As you can see, she's in the underpainting stage, with most of the values (darks and lights) established.  Some fine-tuning to do yet, but pretty much there.  Next stage is to start glazing in the colors.

I'm using a glazing medium this time (a clear liquid gel added in varying amounts to the paint on the pallet), which should make the final painting really luminous, like layers and layers of stained glass.  But, you know, not thick or breakable.  Usually, I just use water to thin my washes, because I sometimes feel the glazing medium messes up the surface.  Or, rather, I mess up the surface by trying to work too fast on top of incompletely dried paint, which then breaks the film, leaving hard edges with bald holes in the middle.  They're very hard to correct, those edges and holes.

So, I'm pacing myself carefully with this one, because I really want to use the medium for it's final effects.

It's dry now, so I'm going back to it.  See you in the next stage!

OH, wait!  While I still have you, let me ask you something.  Who's thinking of participating in the free tutorial announced on my Events page?

Here's what I'm thinking about that.  I described it, and posted it, but the more I think about it, it's so NOT "free"!  If you don't happen to have either the specific program or a tablet and stylus, it would cost you in the neighborhood of $150, minimum, to gear up.

I'd like to re-think the tutorial idea in a more user-friendly way.  Is there something you've seen in my work that you'd like to learn how to do?  What tutorial WOULD you participate in?  Painting?  Photoshop stuff?  Drawing?  What do you think?

As always, I value your input!  Thanks ahead of time!
Xan