The VanGogh Girl In Progress

I wanted to share how this painting...

...came together.  I took a bunch of photos with my iPhone along the way.  I've put a line or two of commentary underneath each photo.

First, I sketched in the basic figure.

Next, I added in some shading to refine the image.  I kept the paint a very light color so that I could cover up my mistakes during this "sketch" period.

In this image you can see that I've brought in lots of different shades of brown to give her some form.

Color is beginning to be added!  Her eyes are looking a little enormous and glassy to me.

I added more shading and I lowered her eyelids a bit.

I've refined the shading and added in a basic color wash to the background.

And here she is in all her glory on my easel.

I wasn't sure whether or not an easel was a good investment for me.  But I have to say that I love having it even if it is too big to fit in my studio.  Here's what my "painting studio" looks like:

I spread a towel out on our dining room table, step over my husband's golf clubs, and get to painting.

Finally, I want to share the following painting:

I did it in July 2009 and I was infinitely proud of myself.  (I share this image and another in this chatty post from 2009.)  

I think I've come a long way since this painting.

That said, drawing and painting are not skills that come naturally to me.  I have worked on developing those skills over the past three years.  Today I want to encourage any of you who are sitting out there reading this and convinced that you can't draw, that it just takes dedicated practice and time.  

Seriously.

Who knows how my paintings will progress over the next three years!?

Thanks for stopping by!