This is one thing I have BEATEN into Kim Dows talented little head, do a quick color study first.

Sometimes holding up a scrap of paper with a test color on it to an area in question helps.

I have a flat part on one side of my head from her beatings, but I do the color studies now. :sunnysmil

Those long distance beatings can be very brutal!

This is where I am now. I'm not happy with it so I may wipe it off and try again.

Jean

I vowed that I was not going to buy any new pastels for this painting. I think I'm going to have to break that vow. :oops:

The alizaren and hot pinks are excentuated in this photo and the prior ones. I adjusted but it still looks too blue. After looking at this and again at the original I think I'll keep going on it. I'm also going to shorten the pencil, and remove the wall, add more of the golds in his face, and bring some cool lt. green into the upper left background. His ear has a cool yellow in the highlights which don't show up here.

Jean

Found the problem
 

Hi Michele,

Your comments about the amount of alizaren in my recent work led me to a search of "why". I work from print outs of my ref material. I cjecked them very closely, and compared to the actual photo on the computer. I discovered that all my print outs have been on the blue side. I tried today to adjust for this problem and it still didn't help. My husband tried some new ink, cheaper by far, but I believe that is the problem. We bought an older Imac (little raspberry one) and I'm going to start using that for my references instead of print outs. We're also going back to the right ink, no more cheap experiments.

In the meantime, I'm going to wipe this one out and start over. I love the subject, and the reference is actually quite good. I may paint it instead of pastel, haven't made my mind up yet.

Thank you so much for your observation, this would have helped immensly on my portrait of the young man. I'm so glad everyone made me look at the colors in his skin and advised me away from the violets and alizaren. He is properly golden and umber now!

Jean

Doing as many studies from life of various types of skin coloration in various lighting situations as you can will help you know when your printouts are off, too.

My grandson will be here this weekend, he loves to model for me. I'll start doing more life studies.

Jean

Little Artist take two
 

I'm about halfway into it now. It took me three days to get the guts to wipe it off, but once I started it was gone i a flash.

Jean

Ah, much nicer! Much healthier looking skintones.

Thanks Michele, he's congruent now. I'll try to post an update tomorrow if the weather cooperates. Now I'm glad you all jumped on me, I have a strong blue/orange color scheme now.

Jean