This particular model, Fantasia, is one of my favorites. Generally, before I draw people, I look to see what I think the subject is feeling and then I work to convey that meaning as well as her looks. Fantasia puts so much complex emotion into her poses that it is a delight to paint her. Today I thought that Fantasia had a wistful look and I think this painting captures that feeling.

I have been meaning to include more of what I learned at the Stan Kurth workshop from earlier this month but I am so uncertain of how it might look that I have been putting it off. But today is the day I finally braved it and added some geometric shapes to the piece. Funny how hard it can be to do something a little bit outside your comfort zone.

This is a mixed media painting. I began with black bristol board and gave it a coat of burnt sienna casein. I drew on it with yellow pastel and ink and painted with gouache.