As With Our first demonstration on painting the woman, the procedure will be to paint each of the five leading masses in turn. (See Plate 25, opposite, and Color Plate 28, page 83.) We are not treating the masses in the same order as before, however. This order may vary with size of mass, color scheme, etc.

Mass no. 1: Background

Mix a blue-gray tone, first using cerulean blue and white; gray this by adding ivory black. With this color, paint in the entire background (using as little paint as possible). Don't leave a sharp outline around the head; scratch right into the hairline.

Whatever the color here, mix a middle tone. Paint it on the entire area excepting where you have indicated the shadows.

Mass no. 3: Hair

Using ultramarine blue and cadmium yellow light, mix a light green; to this add cadmium red light, which produces a golden-brown—this is the middle tone. As you paint the hairline around the face, drag it in a little so that your flesh tone will blend softly into it.

This light tone should be lower than the highest lights on the face so that later you can lay the highest lights over it. Study the mixed colors of the blue key on the palette, page 82, and note where each appears on the painting.

The five masses have been located in paint. (See page opposite.) There is a striking metamorphosis between this and Plate 26.

A word here before starting the color mixing. You no doubt have heard the word "chalky" used to describe the flesh colors of a portrait. This unpleasant chalky effect is due to the lack of proper balance between yellow and the touch of blue or green in the flesh tones.

To mix the light tone start with white, a little cadmium yellow light, then cadmium red light; to this add a very small touch of cerulean blue, which should disappear completely into the tone, leaving no trace of a bluish or greenish tinge.

In painting this light mass, study its shape carefully and, while preserving the shadows you have drawn, paint the light into them a little.

Mass no. 5: Shadow Flesh Tone

We have already set down the shadow on the face in the drawing, but here a very careful study of the shapes must again be made before (and as) they are painted. Don't make any attempt at detail—as eyes, etc. For this step of the painting, follow directions as given for the drawing, paragraph 2, page 75.

Using the same four colors—white, cadmium yellow light, cadmium red light and cerulean—mix the shadow tone by adding to the white more of the three colors. Leaving your light tone, mix the one next to it. In value it should be about halfway between the lightest and darkest colors.

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