Finally here’s another painting.  I’ve photographed it at various stages for anyone who is interested.  It’s painted with water soluble oil paints on canvas.

The first stage was to put a very loose background wash on.  I like to keep it very wet and allow the drips to run, as this creates an interesting texture to work on top of.  I then drew an outline of the image using willow charcoal.  Memo to self: if I use something more permanent such as oil pastel or dark paint, then I can confidently let the lines show in the final painting.  The problem with charcoal is it does, of course, rub off!

In the second stage, I started to add flat blocks of colour, and then worked darker tones into the still-wet paint.  I used a quick-drying water soluble oil medium to loosen up the paints.  It’s very sticky to use, but does help the flow of the paint.  I then let the whole thing dry.

In the final stage, I created a dark glaze using the same medium, and used it to darken the areas at the top of the picture.  I also added some low-lights to the hair, and darkened some shadows.  The whole thing is very glossy due to the medium, and is still wet, so I’m afraid it’s not a great photo.