These are the two paintings I was able to work on this afternoon before it got too dim.

Diana (Commission) WIP 2
9″x12″ oil paint on canvas board
3 sessions

Last week when I sat down to do this layer I found that it wasn’t dry enough yet, so all I added was the white for the eyes.

In this layer I added thin, more detailed shading for the skin. The colors are very cool (cooler than they appear in the photo, actually), so I will need to add more warmth on the next layer. It also needs more depth and detail to the shading, especially in the shadows.

This is the color and style sample portrait for a series of much larger commissioned paintings. They are intended to match the color palette and style of family portraits she already has which were made the better part of a century ago. Unlike most modern portraits, the ones in her family have a very cool feel to them, with an olive toned background. However, I need to balance that coolness with warmth in the skin. To that end, the underpainting color is a dark, cool red. The first layer of the background is a dark olive color in a very thin layer, so in the photograph it looks almost black.

Project: Diana Portrait

Complete Contentment – WIP 4
5″x7″ Masonite board
Oil paint
3 sittings

I added a paler beige for the cat and details on the mouse’s face.

Project: Complete Contentment