Subtle Differences

Highlights make all the difference in the world. It may be a subtle difference for most, but for me, it's what makes a good painting better. My most recent painting got a ton of "likes" and comments on Facebook and it was only 90% done. People seemed to think it was done, and it would have looked pretty good as is. But, I still had to add in the highlights, which seems to pump up the contrast even more and make the painting even better.My studio mate told me not to touch that painting. It was done, but after I did my "magic", he had to admit it looked even better. I'm sure he was afraid that I would over-work it and ruin it, but I'm pretty good at knowing when to stop and what little accents are needed.

Here is the painting before I added the accents/ high-lights:

Here is the painting after I finished it:

 16"x16"

The differences are subtle, especially in these photos, but it does look a lot better. The folds on the dress are sharper, her legs look more modeled and less two dimensional. Overall, I think it looks better. I am pretty happy with this painting.

You might be wondering where the black bar over her eyes is. Well, I tried to cover her eyes, but if you look at the angle of her face, you'll notice that her nose is in line with her eyes. If I were to cover her eyes, her nose would have to be covered too and that looked too weird. Having no eyes is one thing. That's part of the series. Having no nose is just too weird looking. I had to go without the bar, which means this can't be part of the "Forgotten Memories" series. 

Today was pretty productive. Not only did I finish my "dancer" painting, I also worked on my diptych. It is almost finished. I need about another two hours and before I can call it done. I worked on the second panel and just need it to dry so I can add the highlights and accents. I love painting white dresses. I think it's my favorite clothing to do. Here I got to paint two of them. Yay!

Here's what it looks like with the other panel:

Here it is with the bars over everyone's eyes. It's a bit crooked, but you can get a feel for what it will look like completed.

Tomorrow I'll be able to start a new painting. I have some ideas on what I want to do (think Marilyn or Elizabeth). My large panels never came in so they will have to be smaller paintings.