My first glazes are dry, so I can add some more to get the darks closer to what they need to be. Below is how the painting looked when I began today. The photo is a bit washed out and glarey, but you can get the idea.
Below, I’ve added a glaze of ultramarine blue and raw umber to the shadow areas, and corrected the blue book, which had been too narrow. I had corrected this a bit at the last session, but the spine was still too narrow. I built out the left side a bit, and re-centered the label. I added a few details at the top and roughed in a shadow cast by the cover onto the pages. I lightened and warmed up the shadow cast by the green book onto the bottom front of the box, and added some warm bits and nicks to the box’s edge.
Though it was daunting, I took a first stab at the glass. You can see a shot of it below. I began to paint the swirling pattern on it’s body, and a few details on the stem. I’ll return to this many times, but it felt good to make a start. I did a bit of work on the ribbon, and added some details on the box rim. I put another layer of paint on the blue stone.
I’ll let this dry, then finally put a glaze on the green book to bring it to its proper value and color.
Here’s how it stands. Sorry about the washed out photo!
Linda Mann Artist 