30 in 30: Day 2--Emily Head Study, Part 1

Emily, Head Study 11 x 14 Oil on Board

Layer 1 of Day 2 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  Why Layer 1?  Because I was working from a photo, and when I get to the studio on Friday and see the model, Emily, under natural light, it's going to be quite different, so I won't go too far today.  She has incredibly fair skin, with greenish undertones, and that combined with the natural light are a real challenge.  This study is the intermediate step in a larger painting I will do with the full pose, from a photo.  It will help me get the skin tones and start considering the background.

Today was also the first day I used two of Qiang Huang's blue filters over halogen lights for my canvas/pallette lighting.  It is supposed to simulate North light, so now I'm really curious to see on Friday if that is the case.  If you are not happy with overhead fluorescents or other lighting and are pining for North light, you may want to order a couple of filters and try them out:  Qiang's North Light filters