I spent a little time painting this afternoon.  It’s not much, but the weather was turning to rain so I came back inside.  I hope to sit down to paint again in the next few days.

Diana Portrait – WIP6
9″x12″ oil paint on canvas board
7 sessions

All I added today were the irises of her eyes. They are phthalo blue and white, with a tiny bit of black for the pupils. Yes, her eyes are actually that color.

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. As the painting nears finishing, I believe I will need to underpaint with cool green instead when I create the larger portraits.

Project: Diana portrait

Complete Contentment – WIP7
5″x7″ Masonite board
Oil paint
6 sittings

I have re-painted the background areas with alizarin crimson.

Project: Complete Contentment