This is the conclusion of the three-part series depicting the development of the painting “Small Wonders” by artist Pat Scott.
In the final analysis of this painting, you’ll see that I’ve continued to perfect the skin tones and have now gotten down to the details. The dress is painted, including the wrinkles, and the hair has been defined. Several shades of color go into painting hair and the highlights are also important to show the light source.
As this photo is simply one taken with my cellphone, it’s hard to see how well it looks in person. As I said before, I took several photos along the way to help visualize and point out flaws.
In the final photo, you’ll notice many changes to both the figure and the background. I struggled until the end with proportion of the face and arms and getting the correct skin tone with variances in color, yet blended I went from pinkish to tan and back again, lightening and darkening until the correct tone was achieved.
The arms and hands were also adjusted for proportion to each other and with the body as a whole. I carefully measured and re-measured to ensure proportion, which is something I’ve struggled with many times in the past. Finally, I think I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. Yet still I look at the end result and though I’m please I can see room for improvement. I’ll likely fiddle around with it at a later date and I’ll post an update if it’s meaningful.
Comparisons
In conclusion, let’s review some of the various stages of development side-by side.
This shows the very beginning of the painting. I sketched the figure on the canvas immediately, though I should have waited until the background was complete. This would likely have been an easier route to take.
These images show the progression of the painting from the rough sketch to the final painting. What starts as much of nothing slowly blossoms to a completed piece.
So you see a big difference in exactly how the painting develops through the various stages. This is the first time I’ve completely documented these details, but I assure you it won’t be the last. I enjoyed this painting very much and learned a lot about creating a portrait. I’m pleasantly surprised how it turned out.
I hope that you’ll come back to see what else I’ve been working on. My next painting is very special and shows a very different technique – one that is new to me and I think fairly unique to the art world – at least I don’t recall seeing it before.
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Pat Scott