Saturday, May 8, 2010

The customer-sold

Oil on stretched linen, 6" x 6"
I've been learning a lot about painting skin tones from doing this series; in this case, painting them warmer where they're getting a lot of reflected light from the ground and cooler where the light is from the sky. In the actual painting, the skin colors aren't as blotchy looking as they seem on my screen; the values are actually a lot closer. My efforts with Photoshop did not yield the desired effect.

5 comments:

Linda Popple said...

Another beautiful painting, Kathy.

You mentioned skin tones being cooler if light is from the sky. I would have thought the tones would be warmer - the opposite of what you expressed. I am new at painting and am confused (which is nothing new to me!). Could you explain this or recommend some reading material? Thanks!

Kathy Weber said...

Thanks, Linda. I was talking about the shadows, not the highlights. Her lower back and arms contain warm colors reflected from the ground and other items, such as her orange dress. Her upper back and neck, however, are tilted more toward the sky, so the color is a little bluer. Does that help?

Linda Popple said...

It does help! Thank you!!

Amy said...

Hi Kathy -- I love your work...I'm a new subscriber and get your daily painting emails. Your brushwork is fabulous and use of color and light is just gorgeous. It's what I strive for in my own work. Just wanted to say thanks for the blog. It's a pleasure to view your work.

Kathy Weber said...

Thank you, Amy!