The Emperor is beginning to get increasingly convincing now that his shorts are becoming more substantial, although I’d like to add a second working of the Raw Umber to the painting I did today to make the value more appropriate for the next layer, which will introduce colour to the canvas. Meanwhile there’s a lot more work in the brown to define the imagery, particularly the woman and the completely neglected greenery – I’ve yet to begin sketching the vines around her, or their progress up the chair legs. The Green Man imagery is very important to me – I’ve admired these strange carvings in churches since I was a teenager, seeking them out in obscure folklore books.
Still feeling a bit shaky today from a bit of an upset stomach (food?) that caught me by surprise last night, I took it pretty easy today, working for only a few hours with frequent stops to rest and recuperate. I added the bands to the globus in the Emperor’s left hand (stage left, our right) and painted a small ball dangling from the end of his scepter-stick. I’m planning to paint a tattoo or two onto this character, and hope to work on ideas for designs this evening.
Nice job on the hand, Michael !