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I'm FREE

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Shoes that Hit the Shower ... and came out better


A friend of mine at work told me about her wild shoes. Having had a bit of a shoe fetish in the past, I asked her if she could bring them to work, so I could photograph them as reference for a painting. They really were WILD - six inch spike heels, and a faux-fur finish. The heel was so high, Laara couldn't wear them.
I  masked the shoes [I found out what I was doing wrong with the masking fluid - using a hair dryer on it.] and did two graded washes - aureolin and alizarin crimson.  

Another two washes of yellow and red, and some of the shadowing.

I got too heavy-handed with the black, and lost most of the yellow on the upper right, and the shoe shadows. So I took the painting into the bathroom, turned the shower on cold, and stuck the painting under the water. It lifted enough of the color gently, so I could re-work the darks. 

I alternated between doing a large, all-over graded wash, and painting the shadow details. I did this twice, and I liked the effect of the shoe shadows merging into the deep shadows on the left, so the masking came off. This is where I am now. Next ... the shoes!

As always, your comments are most welcome!