I won't be too hard on myself for not completing this series of blog entries months ago while the memories were still fresh in my mind. My goal here is to share a bit on the painting process. Shown above is where I was around the second-to-last day. One problem was that I had mounted prints that were too thin for Donato's process. A heavy ridge also developed along the line I tried to cut around some of the major contours of the illustration in order to better conceal them. I had managed to get some momentum going with my usual acrylics glazing technique. But I had also, somehow, lost my focus on the legs, and found myself having to repaint and adjust them on the fly. Thinking back, part of the conflict may have arisen from Dan Dos Santos' suggestion to "glam her up a bit" by lengthening the legs and torso. I had to really force myself to abandon my goal of staying true to Michelle's actual proportions, which read as youthful, delicate and vulnerable.
Although the painting is still unfinished, I learned a bit more about where exactly in my process I need to increase my focus and momentum. The rendering of the underdrawing in charcoal was probably the most satisfying part of the process, even though it as time consuming. I'll have to see if I can approach the rest of the painting with a similar amount of enthusiasm and success.
View an update to this piece here.
