Portrait of a Lady(almost finished)

(C) 2017 Dale DiMauro

This is a portrait I started a while ago and nearly finished. However, I knew there were some details that I needed to get right. These details included the all important facial features which if successful convey the characteristics of the subject of the portrait. Originally, I was attracted to the way the sun and shadows cross my wife's face. 

Over the course of this winter I have done quite a few facial studies in pencil which has enabled me to see aspects of the face in a way I would not have depicted as well six months ago. I have added skin tone washes along the corners of the lips where we have natural creases when we smile or frown and made fine corrections to the perspective of the mouth which seem to make a big difference. The dark shadow in the corner of the mouth gave depth to the mouth and defined the edge of where the lips are. The shadow on the tip of the nose enhanced the sun on the other areas of the nose. 

More time than anywhere else, has been spent on getting the pattern of how the hair rests to be correct. It may be hard to notice, but I have added naples yellow, an opaque pigment, on the dark background, where stray hairs caught the natural light . 

There are just a few details left before I would consider it a finished painting. Some of the details include finalizing the eye lid, eyebrow and glasses.