I’ve been working on painting the first and most important of the hands in the Empress painting, working in Van Dyke brown to establish shape and shadows. The value is too dark at present, but will lighten when I introduce a further layer of white and brown to refine the surface, as I did with the faces. I’ve also been filling in gaps with white paint, making sure that the figures are all prepared for more work.
I’m hurting to get that Foundation white. I really want to get the marble established on the left and around the figures so I can get a better sense of the balance of the value in the lower half of the painting. The medium tone of the Burnt Sienna is quite distracting at the moment; in terms of value when everything has a coat of white over it the painting will be much closer to its ultimate destination.
