DEMONSTRATION
Glazing and Highlights
When everything else was done, I looked at the figures as they related to their environment. It seemed that I had done my job too well in unifying them with their surroundings. The girls needed to be drawn out as the center of attention.
To do this the highlights were lightened, the hair was darkened, and more warmth was added to their skin. Glazing is the application of transparent colors over an opaque underpainting. This is just what the girls needed, a little red glazed into their lips and cheeks, and the warmer parts of the arms and legs. The highlights on the skin were warmed as well. I did not simply add white to the highlights, white is too cool. I mixed a light skin tone of cadmium yellow, cadmium red, and white, and scrubbed it onto the lightest areas of the skin while still allowing the blue to show through in the appropriate areas.
The painting was then delivered to the client for final approval. At this stage, changes can still be made if they are desired. After receiving approval of the painting, I covered it with a coat of retouch varnish [equal parts Damar Varnish and Triple Rectified Turpentine] applied with a 2 inch bristle brush. The Damar helps to even out the sheen and protect the work. In six to twelve months, when the work in completely dry, it should have a coat of final varnish [pure Damar] applied to protect it from airborn pollutants. Do not apply pure Damar too soon or it will crack, as it violates the fat over lean principle.
When dry, the finished painting was delivered to the gallery for framing.
