Carly portrait in progress 5

Outlining the edge of Carly’s dark nose so I can do the left side of her pale peach muzzle up to the nose edge. I will work to that edge with light colors. So I have to put in that crisp black edge first so I can see where to stop with the peach/gold/yellow. Because those light colors will be soft and fuzzy, to capture her soft muzzle. The crisp edge gives me a guide. If I put in the blurry strokes first, it will be harder for me to tell, then, where I should start her crisp black nose.

So much of creating a work of art is strategy. Some paintings require a lot of strategy, through many steps. What I just described is a small strategy, a single step in a small part of the painting.

Look at all the colors I’m putting into her nose!

I’m working my way across the nose from left to right.

This is how Carly’s portrait looked when I finished work for the day in the studio.