The Red Head Stage 1

Red Head

Drawing on underpainting, oil pencil on primed canvas.

The position of the legs and the fact that I am using a photo as reference add to the difficulty of this long overdue portrait of Piper. Wearing Uncle Chad's WWII infantry helmet, a favorite dress-up item in the family collection in the Playhouse at a summer home in Maine, Piper posed for this picture three or four years ago. She is about to turn fourteen and is quickly losing the little girl look. The green of the helmet suits her ginger coloring so well, so I wanted to give the harmony of that combination a try quickly before it's too late. Next I will show you the painting, but not until I spend another afternoon working out some drawing issues.

To be continued...