3 Look at shapes
I cleaned my palette and mixed up
some skin colour. Simply using dilute
Yellow Ochre works here as it’s
different enough from the dress
colour. I carefully studied my original
drawing and found the significant
lines and shapes that made up the
arm, paying close attention to its
position and form. With the hand
gathering the skirt, I felt there was
no need for detailed fingers – the
effect is achieved by the bunching of
the skirt and the insinuated hand.
4 Build up as a whole
It was important to capture the head before
any more detail was added. Using the 3/4”
brush, I placed the dancer’s jaw line in
relation to the shoulder. I pulled the brush up
towards the hairline to indicate the forehead
and established the neck by printing a mark
with the brush’s edge. I used a mix of Vandyke
Brown and French Ultramarine for the hair
while also developing the form of the face.5 Detail the face
I was drawn to add a little more
detail to the face as I wanted to
establish the form and position
of the features. Getting these
things right at this stage can
help with the likeness and give
me confidence going forward.
I used the 1/4” brush to find
the eyebrow line, the shadow
beneath the nose, the dark
upper lip and the shadow under
the lower lip and chin.6 Check for accuracy
The placement of the leg was important.
I drew vertical lines up from each side to see
where they would cross the face. With this,
I was confident the pose would look correct
and I could safely block in her leggings.
I turned the painting upside down so that
the blue-brown mix would run up the page.
Turning the painting also gives you a break- once it was upright again, I could see it with
fresh eyes. I decided the skirt needed some
dancing splashes of Lemon Yellow and
Cadmium Red to give more movement.