Tim,

What you say is the only way that I have ever come close. I virtually make a finished painting and then go over it again. For me this takes a lot of courage. You get something that you like and might add to your portfolio and then risk all that by going on top of it.

I don't know how people get the likeness by starting so loose. Maybe they don't start loose, maybe they do just what you suggested.

No, some start loose. I believe that the process is that they keep homing in on the subject until they reach their goal. I have worked with some who do their drawings with nothing but straight lines and achieve the roundness by cutting away at the corners until they get the likeness they are seeking. There are an infinite number of ways to get there. How many times have you heard, "The pleasure is not getting there but the journey?" Keep homing in on your drawing and values. Once that you are satisfied with your results, then attack the problem of color. As I understand it, this is a method used by many. As for me, I'm too stubborn. I like the torture of working alla prima. I think that it is the masochist in me! :D

Another fun way
 

Mike, I know what you mean. Here's another way that is fun and doesn't risk your investment in the first work. Paint another work from your first. Use it like you would a plein air color study from which you mean to make a bigger studio work. Set them up side by side, mix tons of paint and determine to use most of the pigment. Start and finish alla prima - looseness must be the result. You can even use your photo as reference but refer to the early painting for the color, edges etc. Use what you've just learned.

This work is often exciting and usually takes far less time then you would think. I've done this with stills and landscapes too. The second work is nearly always the better of the two.

"Alla Prima Dopo"
 

I would like to suggest a method I like to call "Alla Prima Dopo." That is, lay on some thick paint here and there after you have laid a smooth foundation and leave it. One stroke, then stop! Resist blending together. Hide your fan brush! Worst case scenario, is you miss your mark. In that case, restate.

Look before you leap
 

Mike,

I love the photo but I fear it is not a good reference photo candidate. The shadow is not very informative and the hair in the shadow does not separate enough from the overall shadow of the skin.

I took your photo and broke it down into 11 values: black and white (both of which are not present in your photo) and 9 value steps in-between. Notice the value patterns. The
lightest light is on the forehead. See how much darker the lightest part of the neck is. All values must remain in their proper relationship for 3D form to happen.

It is essential to see how the values on each form darken as they radiate away from the
lightest light. This is the key, concentric stripes of diminishing values. Check out any old master painting and this is the common thread.

Jeanine and Tim,

I am going to try to finish my color application and then try and have another go at it. Maybe the way Tim describes in his last post.

Marvin,

That's an interesting thing you have done. I think I'll try and print that out as a reference. I'm afraid I'm too far down the road on this photo to give it up. It is one that could have used the reflector to bring out more detail in the shadows.

To any and all,

I don't want to stir up a big can of worms here but I have to say that some things I read and hear stick with me more than others. And some things create conflict (maybe a good thing) towards my development. The following quote comes from a book that I own titled: "Portraits from Life" in 29 steps, by John Howard Sanden. The quote, from page 60 goes like this: I read this passage over and over when I first encountered it. This quote causes me conflict because on one hand it gives me license to stop short, but on the other hand I feel guilty for not trying to make it better.

Possibly I have not grasped the intended meaning of the quote. It may be that it is just a matter of one's chosen style. But for someone who is working towards developing a style it has either been a hindrance or a helping hand up. I can't figure out which.

In either case it influences my thinking as it relates to the information (or lack of) I see in shadows.

Another quote
 

Mike,

I've always liked how simple and honest this quote was from Clark Hulings, he said, "I paint on a painting until I can't make it any better".