Sit a Spell...

... Take your shoes off... Y'all come back now, here?

I love the porch on a house. I wish we could all slow down enough to take our evenings off, go out on the porch, sit a spell, take our shoes off, talk to our neighbors and children, and all come back again tomorrow night. While we are making so many advances in our society, I am sorry to see so many advantages being lost. 

Lights and Darks

When starting a face I first try to find the areas of highlight (lights) and shadow (darks) that define the plane changes on the face. It's tempting to go into great detail on one facial feature, like an eye, but it's better in the end to make sure all the general areas are correct first. I've made the mistake before of perfecting an eye and then realizing I painted it too high or too low or too far to the right or left and having to repaint it. Lesson learned... 

Rhododendron

Well, my little Rhodie didn't get finished in a day... but I think she's coming along nicely just the same. This has been a great exercises in both hard and soft lines, as well as lights and shadows. I can see that I need to follow my own rule and stop being afraid of the dark! I think as I deepen the shadow areas it will really bring a greater sense of depth to the flower.