Chazaqiel - WiP 3
Added 2016-02-25 21:21:18 +0000 UTCI'm spending way more time than usual with this piece's values. Normally, you see me jump into a rough color pass before my value study gets this refined, but this piece is so reliant on subtle value shifts, that I'm just keeping in grayscale. So much so, that I'm seriously considering keeping it black and white all the way to the final.
What you aren't seeing, is the number of thin washes that I'm applying to adjust lighting and modeling that simply get pulled back by my 'undo' button. There are a lot of tiny adjustments that just look wrong when I apply them. Without being able to rely on color, things look inconsistent at the slightest wrong move. It's forced me to be much more aware of keeping consistent with my lighting. I think working on this piece is actually making me a better painter.
The other thing that's interesting is that I'm using my highlights a lot less sparingly. This is something that was true on the last piece as well. Holding back on modeling surfaces too much is forcing me to be more economical in the way I paint. It's really satisfying and prints much nicer as well.
