Friday, April 1, 2011

Michael - Final Step


"Michael" • 12" x 16" • Oil on Panel


Some notes about the final layers:  Sometimes I like to paint final layers after oiling-in the surface of the painting - this allows me to see the real values of the dried paint and also "melts" the brush strokes into the painting.  At this stage I added a few directional strokes to the background - to liven up the surface.  I also painted the hair, added the highlights on the front of the sweater and signed it.  The hardest part was probably painting the tromp l'oeil frame around the painting at the end.  (just kidding. . . . . it wasn't that hard - -just kidding, that frame is real.) 

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful, and that hair is amazing! Thanks for the helpful breakdown, but you make it look easy, so we better not kid ourselves. The gaze is delightful.

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  2. What a wonderful portrait. Children are so hard to do too. Thanks for sharing your process.

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