BLACK IS NOT ALWAYS BLACK

 

What many people think is "black" in a painting may not be black at all! When the photo for this portrait was taken, instructions were given to wear black and white. As you can already tell, it made for a fantastic photo! In the clothing, I indeed used a pure black paint - Ivory Black. And it worked well. But for the background, I really wanted something that was not flat and that had some color and warmth to it. So I created my own "black" recipe from a combination of paint colors, and it really "pops" the people. What I mean is that it moves them forward off of the background and makes them look even more 3-dimensional.

I have been working on completing the face and hair of this guy (David). He is now completed to the stage that only final detailing is left. That means eyes, teeth and a few other minor adjustments. I ordered some very fine brushes to do that detailing with, but the order was held up because of one item being on backorder. I just received notice that it should be shipped this week, and then I can complete him. In the meantime, it is on to the brother next to him...