Turning Japanese

After 12 sessions with a great model and new friend, I did my best to finish up a portrait I have been working on sporadically for the past few months. I would have like a bit more time as I was just starting to figure things out but I feel pretty good about the results.
I learned a few things while working on this portrait- first, the sessions with the model would probably be best if they were shorter. Posing is hard work, and the model starts to get tired towards the end. So, two hours seems to be the limit- of course the other option is to work three hours but use the last hour to paint the clothing and surroundings while the model struggles to stay awake- and most sitters seems to do so.

I also learned that I still am not seeing "big" enough. I still am looking in, painting stuff rather than shapes of values. It's a life-long struggle I suppose.

The other thing I had a tough time with on this painting was the control of edge quality. I still feel, the edge under the chin is a bit too strong. I may go back in and soften that edge a bit.  

 

Midori, 20 x 16, oil on linen, 2011, ©copyright Richard Luschek 2011

Here is the charcoal drawing I did the first session. You can see it has been a while and her hair has changed a bit. I just moved things around till I was happy. I liked her hair a bit longer and the strand of hair was distracting, so I took it out.