This canvas is large and it takes a lot of time and paint to cover it! Below, I’ve finished the first layer on the rest of the strap, again painting it darker than it will be to allow me to scumble over it later. I refined the shadow on the wall a bit. In this shot, you can see the texture of the wall. I tried applying the paint in a different way from my usual approach. I decided to try using a palette knife, since I wasn’t liking the look of brushstrokes. After, I went in with a brush to get more control of borders, and to smooth out some rough areas. Overall, I like the effect. It looks more like a plaster wall this way.

The sparkly jewelry was very hard to see, as usual. I did my best to see big shapes and basic colors. I know from experience that each attempt to see it and paint it, will make the next session much easier. It can be frustrating at first, because nothing is really correct. Each layer provides a base for further observation, which gets easier as there are more landmarks added.

Below, I tackled the ring. This was so hard to see that I went up to the set-up and shot a photo for me to look at, so I could understand the structure. Though I never want to paint more than I can see from my easel, knowing the structure actually makes seeing easier. The brain informs the eye. I look at the photo to understand, and then go back to paint from looking at the set-up. I’m not sure yet how I’m going to get the bright green highlight on the ring to glow. Pigments are limited when you compare them to what the eye can see in reality. No paint is as bright as real light! I’ll have to resort to tricks to make that area seem to glow. More on that later in the painting process.

Below, I’ve worked on the vase. I corrected some shapes, glazed the purpley/brown area darker, and corrected the value on on the left side. I glazed in the shadow cast on the foot from the body of the vase.

Finally, I worked a bit on the necklace, as the first layer was dry. I re-painted much of the green crystal. It was tricky, as the reflections changed with even the slightest movement of my head. I just need to pick a look I like and stick with it. Next, I painted the red crystal. This was very hard to parse. When I looked at it later that evening, after some time had passed, I noticed that I had painted the red crystal too small! It’s also not at quite a steep enough angle. It’s amazing that a mistake should make it this far into the process, but it seems like it always happens. Luckily, I can correct, even though it’s a pain to re-paint. I’ll make these corrections as soon as this layer is dry.

I spent quite a bit of time figuring out what the color of the wall in shadow was on the far right. Some colors are so tricky to see! It ended up to be a dull green shade. I’m sure I will correct it later. One last change is that the shadow on the wall seemed the wrong shade of blue. It had too much of a greenish pthalo blue cast, and not enough of a redder, ultramarine blue cast. I glazed a thin layer of ultramarine blue over it.

I corrected the color on the handbag, and did a very rough coat on the cutting board. That was enough for a day!