This is the sixth post in this study. The next–final–post will be about the finished painting.
I have finished my initial plan of attack. I always a have a goal when I start out, and I know when I’ve reached it when everything is in its place. Often, the road is circuitous as I uncover things I don’t like. Sometimes I discover something that leads me in an unforeseen direction. Even when things go well, getting everything in place is challenging: things can be uniform and undramatic, or stick out and cause confusion.
Heretofore things have gone smoothly. The drawing has carried me through and what remains to be done is what I expected.
Unfinished stage of The Call 2/2/2014
What remains to be done is the wealth of details. Some artists work the details out beforehand, I prefer to leave areas undefined so I can better react to what has come before. My initial plans always have undefined areas. The challenge with details is to not over work them.
Here is a detail of the same area I reproduced in the last post in this series. You can see some of the details add life to a work. perhaps you can see areas that need more work (such as her forearm). My eye always goes to the unfinished and unrealized.
Ccloseup of The Call
Hopefully, as I work them further, the details will enhance the painting’s liveliness without drawing undue attention.