I’ve begun work on the dress on the left side, having laid down plenty of Lead White over the white dress worn by the Empress herself. I’ve let some of the background behind the Empress’ dress show through here and there, with it’s warm tint glowing slightly, remaining from the Iron Oxide Red first seal, and added shadows with Raw Umber so that the surface of the fabric shifts slightly in both colour and value as your eye moves across the surface.
The new dress on the left remains incomplete, but you can see the structure of what is to come, with square patches sewn together into a pattern vaguely resembling a Roman soldier’s armour. I’ll add lead white highlights to the pattern next, glaze over the Raw Umber with a thin coat of Lead White to soften the darkness, then I must pay attention to the folds in the bottom skirt of the fabric to create some folds in it.
