I started a big painting. I wanted to use the human figure, and settled on a photo of a ballet dancer. It's a triptych (3 canvases). Each is 18x24. Step one for it was an underpainting. The major aim of this layer was to just very generally lay out the whole painting. Where will the dancer go. Being a triptych, this was an important step.
Next, I did phase two, which is an expressive layer over top of the underpainting. This layer should look pretty accurate as far as the anatomy of the dancer and the folds in the dress. More than anything, it should have lots of energy. Maybe even show some emotion.
Time for the final third phase which is a "polishing" layer. I will paint over every square inch of these canvases again, reinforcing parts and correcting others. The goal is to make the dancer as accurate as possible, with a background that supports the figure's intensity and drama. Hopefully, the dancer will retain a lot of the energy from this expressive layer.
I sketched my little dancer many times, in different ways, with different media. Most of the sketching was done before I ever touched a paint brush. The purpose is for me to learn the shapes, lines, movement, form, attitude, and everything else about this subject. I need to ingrain the dancer image in my mind so that I can fully express it in the painting.
Here's the final result. I had some anatomy issues, and fixed them as much as I could. I am happy overall. The dancer is bursting with energy and the background seems to showcase that. I'm proud to sign this piece titled Arabesque: Affirmation.
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