The underpainting is finished! I included some cast shadows on the left, but then decided I would paint over these with the local color of the tabletop. After that dries, I’ll paint the shadows over as glazes. The shadows will look convincingly transparent, because a glaze actually is transparent! Also, the color will be just right, because the color of the tabletop will show through the glaze. A shadow painted directly with body color doesn’t seem as transparent, and it can be tricky to guess the correct color. I’m always tempted to paint in the shadows from the start with body color, both because I don’t want to lose my drawing, and its easier to blend the shadow edges softly while painting wet-in-wet. A glaze can be more challenging to blend.
I managed to preserve the drawing on the vase. Now I have to let everything dry so I can start painting.
Linda Mann Artist 