Portraits

OK, this is hard.. this encaustic portrait thing.  Above is my latest attempt.  I decided to call her done.  I could keep muddling along with her but... done.  Sometimes you just have to call it that way.

She is painted in wax (encaustic) which makes all this doubly hard.  Each layer of wax has to be fused with heat.  I use flame which is lighter and a little easier to control.  However, it does tend to melt the fine features, move features, blur things, blow things out.  UGH!  Its hard.

But...  

I am still compelled for some reason to carry on.  

I have found some very helpful things.  For example the books below are great tools.  Especially Suzanne Brooker's book.

These books are for oil painting, so not the same as wax but similar enough that they help.

 I have also found the work of Birgit Huttemann-Holz.  I love her style of portraits.  She is a great inspiration to me as well as a fine teacher with her brilliant work.  You can see her things

HERE

Looking in the mirror helps too :)