In the shade

 

In the shade

 

Hello fellow paint enthusiasts,

I wanted to share with you a thought that became apparent to me, even though I had read it from John Singer Sargent, and that is " You must paint,...with paint"  I normally "starve" my palette, in other words, I don't put enough paint on it because of the expense of oils. However, this is indeed a detriment to learning how to paint. The more paint I use the better the work becomes. So, my advice to you is to put twice as much paint as you think you are going to need,...and use it! you will be surprised how fast it goes after you start mixing. This painting is still just barely grasping that idea. I started using lots of paint on the background, but I was still a bit stingy with the face. Small steps. 

I have included a close up of the sky by her elbow so you can see some of the thickness.