I began the next phase of the Native American Dancer by making a color sample to work out the colors I would use to block in the first layer of over- painting (lower left corner of the photo). I ended up with Cadmium Red Hue, and darkened this with the Vivid Lime Green for the folds of the shirt.
The skin tones were Burnt Sienna and White, and the buckskin pants were Yellow Oxide, Cadmium Yellow Medium, and White. The sky is Cobalt Blue, White and a touch of Raw Umber to get the gray clouds. This was all done with #12 and #14 soft round brushes.
I developed the dancer’s posture and light and dark areas of the clothing. Next, I’ll lightly sandpaper the dancer and grass with 220 grit sandpaper and start refining the details of the hat, necklace, and face before moving to the shirt and pants.
The layout, under-painting and first layer of the over-painting went quickly, but the details will take up the bulk of the time. I’m often asked “How long did this take to paint?”, so I’m tracking all of the hours spent on a log. Thirty one hours to date!
Fine Art by Don Whittemore 