Stage 1
I decided to take in progress photos of my work. It was interesting experience. This was just the first few layers. There’s not much detail yet. I was just blocking in the basic shapes and colors. Everything still looks pretty flat in the beginning.
Stage 2
There’s now more layers and more details. Remember things are never just one color! There’s layers of multiple colors. I wanted the back leaf to stay out of focus, so I didn’t put a lot of detail into that one. I also saved the most detail for the central leaf and flower, but I still gave some detail to the other two leaves.
Stage 3
I added even more detail, darkened up some areas, and started the head of the butterfly. I wanted to do more, but ended up with a headache. So I had to quit for the day. At one point I really wanted to burn this piece I just wasn’t happy with how it was turning out.
Finished Piece
Even though the butterfly is black and white, it still has shadowed parts to it. Once I had the background color in, it was easier to tell which areas needed more attention. The colors I used in this piece were orange, red orange, two different reds, sap green, green brown, green black, black, gray, cream, and dark blue. I am hoping to get a better camera soon, so I can take higher quality photos. The photo reference is from Rodney Campbell at paintmyphoto.com. This piece is now for sale on my storenvy page. shalevbasy.storenvy.com
shalevbasya.com 