This fun and challenging portrait commission hails from America and incorporates a number of ideas very helpfully collected together on a couple of ‘mood boards’. I started playing around with the elements of the central figure sitting or lying on a teal chaise longue, holding a margarita cocktail with a giraffe looking over her shoulder...!! A bee cushion was introduced before transferring the sketch to a Belle Arti linen art canvas which I had pre-primed with a cream coloured gesso. Next, I started blocking in the main colours with acrylic paints. It may be because it’s a little colder in my studio at the moment but as I was working the paint layers were continuing to misbehave and go streaky. I decided to switch to oils so the glazes worked much better and a lot of detailed work, especially on Sue’s face, was painted in with tiny brushes. We decided to put her hair up which is super curly and fun! I think I’ve got her…
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