Eilidh - The finished painting

So here is the finished painting - Eilidh in Northwest Light.  Oil on canvas - 16" x 12".

Eilidh head sketch

I got a little bit sidetracked and made a quick sketch of the head from a different angle, and was struck by the simplicity of this pose and in particular the arch of the neck. So I abandoned the original idea and immediately started to make a new painting of just the head and shoulders. My main focus was on the shape made by the neck and the direction of the eyes.

Portrait of Eilidh

I don’t have any progress shots for this next painting but I do have a couple of the stages and ideas I went through before it turned into the finished painting.
I had originally intended this to be a large portrait - almost full figure, set within a darkened room. Here is a small basic oil sketch of the general idea. Following this idea, I had started work on the main painting, but about two weeks in came to a standstill, got frustrated and started doodling some different ideas.

Back Again

Haven't been able to post anything for a while because as soon as I got the blog going my internet packed up! I'm back now and will post something shortly.