Raw Umber dropped in beside  the leaves and flowers to create shadows, while pinks have filled out the buds and stems of the blue flowers, providing contrast and vibration. I’ve been enjoying the relationship of the pinks at the centre of the flowers to the stems, interrupted by the blues of the petals. I’ve yet to put down the Iron Oxide Red to warm the leaves.
I also enjoyed using a piece of  lace painted with white to create a stenciled pattern over the broad cloth belt that spans the yellow dress detailed in the second photo. Presently very bright, once this white layer is dry I’ll add some Yellow Ochre to glaze it back and make it feel like a brocade fabric, wiping the yellow away to reveal the bright whites, but allowing the glaze to fill the spaces between the raised surfaces, deepening the colour and popping against the highlights.
Also in the detail picture on the right you can see that I’ve used Raw Umber to deepen the shadows around the buckle and in the spaces between the strips of fabric, while a little Naples Yellow lightened the yellows of the dress.
A little Iron Oxide helped with defining the shapes of the toes on the upper foot, while white brought in highlights on the toes, although I wasn’t able to complete the work before I went to visit an opening in town. I’ll continue the pedicure tomorrow, perhaps.
The same Iron Oxide went to work on the pink dress on the left of the canvas, darkening shadows and altering the colour of the sash around the girls’ stomach to a warmer more orange range, distinguishing it from the dress. The shadows need further deepening to make the figure more substantial.
