Painting dark skin tones

First draft of 18 x 24 oil

When painting people, you have to take into account the surroundings...will they be neutral? A scene of some sort? A room? Going back to the "less is more" concept, the other thing is will the background or clothes detract from the subject?

So here, in an 18" x 34" oil are the challenges, not the first being that I had 3 days to paint this! And just a few photographs! The woman sat at a desk in a different set of clothes. The clothes they wanted were in another photo of her standing....white with some decoration.  And the hair was from still another photograph (the second image is the "correct" hairstyle:-). 

After roughing in the portrait clothes and sending it to the clients, I realized how the white overwhelmed her dark skin tones.  So I completely changed all the colors surrounding her so that the opposite happens....SHE pops:-)  Take a look.


I have not changed anything in her face except I darkened her teeth just a shade.

Second draft and changes to 18 x 24 oil

Now the focus is on her and not the white outfit!

When less is more

There are times when less is more and often that is the case in paintings! Here are two examples. The 18 x 24 horse pastel is an unfinished display painting that I decided to leave that way after people were surprised while I was working on it to discover that it was not done :-). I like the vagueness and "wispiness" of the image.

Wind at her back

Summer at the Beach

The 24 x 20 oil  is a client portrait that will be completed as the client desires. My artist husband, Steve is painting this one.  But I love it at this stage...warm, inviting tones of sunlight...makes you feel you are right there and feeling the sun on your shoulders!

Adding a new slide show

I love it when I play with technology and something finally clicks! LOL

So I have had fun putting together this slide show. Enjoy!