Step 19: Introduce Reflected
Light  |
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Restate
(Steps 18 through 21)
Now you begin the serious work of restating everything you have
done. You have just come from a rest period, so stand back and
study your painting with a fresh eye. Then proceed to retrace
your steps, going back over everything — in the same order
of the original painting — and restating. Start with the
darks. Restate the darks, making your judgements sharper and
more accurate. Then restate the halftones: some darker, some
lighter, some perhaps more intense, some less so, etc. All along
the way refine and correct the drawing. |
Hover to zoom final painting |
| Now it's time to look into the shadows to see
the light that is reflected there from surrounding surfaces
and sources. There is reflected light on every plane in nature,
but we see it only in the shadows. Paint it accurately and simply.
Don't exaggerate it. In this case, the principal reflected lights
are along the side of the face and neck, under the nose, and
in the eye sockets. Be careful when introducing reflected light.
It is so delightful to paint — that wonderful glow it imparts
to the painting — our tendency always is to over-do it.
Go easy on the reflected light. Make sure it remains part of
the shadow and does not distort the tonal structure. Bright
reflected lights in a portrait tend to cheapen it. |
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