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The design was sketched on a gessoed (white stuff) 16 x 20 board. The image under the sketch was my first drawing. I decided to use a different color (hue) to bring uniformity to the entire portrait, see below.

An acrylic paint wash was used to separate the light, dark and medium values, the key to hold entire painting together.

Color separated into big shapes of light medium and dark. I'm always comparing everything else to the lightest light (highlights in eyes) and the darkest dark (hair between left neck and ear). I never entirely cover up the original red-orange wash.

At first painting all the parts line, form, movement, focal point, shape, edge, balance, color is kind of like being a juggler with several balls moving at once. But with practice all the parts began to make sense and together they make ART beautiful and fun! Unfinished, to be continued...

The completed process... fun and beauty went into this painting. By using a limited palette (cerulean blue, cad yellow medium, alizarin crimson and white) kept things simple and the less I have to juggle the more fun I have playing! Thank you for sharing your time with me.  I'm working on a painting of a prayer garden for a local church, stay tuned...