Waking Among the Clouds: Step 7
Monday, August 7th, 2006
This painting is officially finished. The approach I took when painting the arms and hands was even more useful while working on the feet. The slight simplification of the wrinkles in the arches and the careful, directional control of the brushwork combined to make the feet look like feet, but still feel soft and feminine. I found myself doing a lot more paint mixing right on the canvas than usual as I fine-tuned the colors, and I think that really helped as well. There is an amazing variation of color in the soles of feet (and, to a lesser extent, the palms of the hands) that isn’t present elsewhere on the figure, mainly because the skin there is so different. It changes thickness substantially from the pads of the feet to the arches, for example, and since skin is quite translucent, the thickness affects the color. Ignoring these subtle changes in color leaves the feet looking more like those of a manikin than a living person. (Exaggerating the same subtleties in the face can easily make a figure look flushed. It’s a delicate balance that I am still working on.)
Having finished the feet, I also get to see the result of the careful work on the sheets. It is easier now to see that the shape of the major folds in the sheet is completely dependent on the way the knees and feet of the figure press into the mattress. Since everything matches up, the bed looks soft and weight of the figure is palpable. This is the stuff you really can’t make up.
Final touch-up work on this piece consisted mostly of adding more white to the brightest areas, and some repainting of a very small section of the skirt (luckily the skirt and luckily on the shadow side) where Asher managed to contribute a brushstroke of his own. Never underestimate the height of a determined 2-year-old.
So, for the final assessment, I am really happy with this painting. I think the extra time spent working on simpler figure paintings over the past year has been really good for my technique, especially with skin tones and textures, but also with overall consistency. Having finished this piece I am really excited to move on to some more ambitious compositions.
I am told people are still visiting the studio, so I hope it has been somewhat entertaining and informative. As always I welcome any questions or comments. Thanks for reading.





