FPM Painting #2: Toni progresses

Toni - work in progress
acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
©Xan Blackburn 2011

I accidentally deleted the pictures I took of the first stages of Toni's portrait, but suffice it to say, it was sort of watery, and I lost most of my drawing when I glazed over it.  :P  You can still see - or NOT see - that the drawing is mostly gone in this pic, which is where I'm at right now.  That's my reference photo peeping out over the top of the canvas.

This time, I'm using raw umber for the underpainting of the shadows and dark areas.  I want Toni to remain very warm throughout, against the cooler sofa color.  She'll have some of that blue reflecting back inside her deepest shadows, but it will be subtle.

You can see how I've changed the direction of her gaze, too.  In the photo, she's staring past us to something we can't see.  I've directed her eyes to look straight at us, to engage the viewer more intimately.  I hope to keep the intensity of her gaze, too, so that we'll feel a bit like we're about to get JUMPED!  (But in a good way!)

As usual, I kind of like this stage as it is.  Now that I pretty much know where everything goes, it gets easier and harder and more fun and tedious and scary to keep working.  Get all that?

(I should be further along by now, but I've got winter-brain already!  My brain wasn't formulated for living this far north it seems, and the thinking-functioning part fills up with something like cotton balls soaked with peanut butter in the fall, 'til it starts to slowly drain out again about mid-February.  Still, I'm on a mission, and succeed we must!)_________________________________________________________________________________

Hailey
©Xan Blackburn 2011

I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to Christine, who had to say good-bye to Hailey today.  We love them so much, they take such a huge chunk out of our hearts when they leave.  Hugs to you, Christine.