Once I established the shadow area I began blocking in the color and values for the rest of her face. This stage always makes me want to go find a color-by-number kit and see if I could do a better job now than I did when I was a kid!

The colors still aren't quite right, but again, I'm working toward shape. And those colors will help build a foundation for more color to come along soon.

It's interesting to observe the process. Some days the paint just lands in all the right places and in all the right hues. Other days I can have one simple section take me hours. I observe this in my students and remember my fellow art students experiencing the same thing. So I work to not get too discouraged about it.

I've come to believe that opposition is an eternal principle. There is opposition in all things, and it is that very opposition that makes the sweet enjoyable, the easy days relaxing, and the love so deep.