DEMONSTRATION
Color Layering
I then applied color over the underpainting in varying thicknesses. The trees in the background have glazes of brown-green softly added to them, allowing the warmth of the underpainting to show through, especially on the left where the sun touches the leaves. Though there was a great deal of detail available in my photo reference, I chose to keep the trees muted to create aerial perspective and to draw attention to the figure.
While I wanted a blue sky, I had to be careful to keep the color limited. Because the image is dominated by warm hues, placing a large cool color in their midst would have drawn too much attention to itself. I adjusted the color, temperature and tone of the sky a couple of times as the work progressed to acheive an acceptable result. You will notice how the sky has been darkened as it shows through the trees on the right. This prevents hot spots from distracting the viewer.
The wall in my photo reference was not marble, but a dark brown stone; very medeival looking. I studied marble from life and from the paintings of others who had painted it before me, such as Alma Tadema, to get the feel of the veining and the color in the shadows. I then largely painted from memory, making visual decisions as I progressed.
