This is a painting of Madison, who modeled for our portrait group Saturday. She had a really different hairstyle that I could have allowed to take over my painting. Instead I chose to paint her face first and add the hair when I was finished. Those are actually feathers sticking out of her wrapped dreadlocks but I minimized them because they don't add much to the portrait. I changed the direction of her glance. She was looking off to the right and I moved her eyes so they are looking at us. The direct stare makes her pose more personal and encourages empathy. Another change I did when I got the painting home was finish the background in a series of colors all the same value, but different hues. There was a red backdrop behind her on the model station and I thought it overpowered the muted colors of her clothing and skin.
