Day 4 - Using Color

Untitled, Acrylic on Gessoed Mat Board, 10"x7"

Day 4 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

For this painting, I used the adjusted photo of my cousin that formed the basis for yesterday's painting. I liked the drama of the adjusted photo and decided to paint it with the stronger pigments. Quite a difference!

So far, the methodology that I chose for my paintings is working. I paint directly on the board using black and white to define the main shapes. Once I have those, I add gray areas to further block-in the facial features. I haven't been doing any drawing at all. I start with the eyes, then add the nose and mouth before defining the shape of the face, chin, hairline, etc. By not drawing, I feel like I am able to preserve a painterly look and a looseness that I normally have to struggle to maintain. I like the results even though I am not achieving likeness yet.