finally paints the first of his Gauls...
At this point, it's good to look over the figure and see how "the plan" is going.
Ok, I think things aren't going too badly, but some of the creases in the tunic - especially the ones inside the elbow - need a little kick. I am also unhappy with the flesh tone.
First, the tunic: A quick wash from Maple Sugar Tan, Dark Brown, and Magic Wash (3:1:5) go into the creases. Some of the highlights had to be remixed to get the slightly deeper shadow to blend more smoothly.
Now, the face is buggin' me. This is the same mix of colors I've used on a lot of 28's, and I've always been happy with it. But it just looks wrong on a 54.
I decided to pull out the oils I usually use for faces, and compare it to the acrylic colors I'm using. Here's a 4x6 card where I put globs of Gamblin Flesh and Daniel Smith's Burnt Sienna surrounded by a lot of different Delta colors:
So what did I learn? My flesh-base colors of Fleshtone, AC Flesh, and Dark Flesh are more tan-based than the oils colors I'm used to. I'd be better off using Medium Flesh as a base. Also, I've noticed that the Delta Burnt Sienna is slightly paler than a good oil paint.
I decided to go over the face in a number of very thin layers, in the hopes of restoring some of the color balance. I started by deepening the shadows with a mix of Burnt Sienna and Magic Wash (1:4). The broad flesh areas were moved out of tan by applying a wash of Medium Flesh, Fleshtone and Magic Wash (2:1:10), and smooth transitions between the flesh and the new Burnt Sienna shadows with a wash of Medium Flesh and Magic Wash (1:4). Finally, a little effect of the sun is achieved by hitting the tops of the cheekbones and the forehead with a mix of Medium Flesh: Burnt Sienna: Rouge: MW (4:1:1:6).