To my great pleasure today my model for the Magician came to the studio to visit. Sam did a great job posing for the painting, so it was a real treat to see her enjoying it, although I had to leave shortly after she arrived, so there wasn’t a great deal of time to chat, and I completely forgot to ask if I could take a few more pictures. I want to paint the Magician’s bare feet, without shoes, so that the character is grounded on the earth, which I think is appropriate for a person dealing with the elements so closely.
The orange sky has been glazed with a Cobalt Blue, ragged off and partly reglazed at the bottom with a new paint, a Silver White that I promised I would try out for my friend Steve Aufhauser. It seems to be a finely ground lead white that glazes rather well with a delicate milky white finish which feels a little bit blue. I’ll try it again in work tomorrow and see how it is when its less thinned by the medium. I’ll let this horizon line area dry then repeat the glaze but carry it further up into the sky, resulting in a more opaque skyline that gradually softens and allows more of the colour of the orange and blue behind it to come through.
I spent a little time enjoying the work of Jeremy Lipking on his website, noting a neat effect that he gets by using a highlight of dashed in white with a touch of yellow or perhaps a hint of orange in it against a blue grey background, making the light pop against the cooler area. I like it!
