Asher: Step 2

I continue working with the burnt umber/black combination until the major values are basically in place. There is a great deal of flexibility at this point, as a dry brush will pick up a lot of paint, and act as an eraser. As a short diversion, I blocked in Ernie’s skin tones and a few other areas that use the same colors.
Next I begin placing some mid-tone highlights with a combination of titanium white and cad red. At this point, the entire painting is still wet, so blending the colors to the desired value is pretty simple. This whole process replaces the careful sketching of the canvas I would use in a more serious painting. It’s good practice, and easy to get away with since I’m not combining multiple pieces of reference material or employing any complex perspective.

