REFINING HER FEATURES
© Flora Aube
Transcript for Features
Be sure her eyes are balanced with each other. The lid line that sits above the eye is emphasized with dark paint, but not harsh-keep your line soft by adding the smallest bit of water to a fine brush, and if it is still too hard, light run your finger over it. Go over her eyebrows but think keep them soft, and rather than making them a hard line, be loose (no tattoo brows )
I’m giving her an upper lid here- keep the color light, and the crease line is soft. If she is an older woman, she may not have a lid, or it may pull down at the sides (a bit of droop) to indicate maturing skin. It’s a constant process of adjustment. If your defining lines are too thick, narrow them by adding light skin color next to them. Make sure to integrate with the surrounding skin and blend. This reduces the harsh, cartoon effect, and she starts feeling good. LIPS: Soften the lips by lightening them with glaze. Apply several layers to build dimension.
NOSE: Softly define the bottom of the nose and nostrils. Add a little bit of shadow under the tip.
DETAILS: EYES: Make the ‘whites’ of Her eyes light- usually white and little ochre mixed together works well-do NOT fill this area in solid- get a tiny bit of water on a small brush and dap it in and then dap it back with your finger and do it again and again until the color builds up.
EYE COLOR: First paint in the dark pupil. Paint the eye color around that, and then take a smaller brush with a lighter shade of the eye color and touch that in lightly and blot. Vary the tones for dimensionality. Keep stepping back to look at her from a distance as well as close up. They don’t have to be perfect.
Real life people are not perfectly symmetrical. And it is more interesting and okay if they are slightly different, but of course they should look like they go together. Next take a tiny bit of white on your smallest detail brush and make 2 small light marks inside the pupil (I usually curve them a little bit- like a “J” shape). Where you place them depends on where she is looking. The key is, wherever you do it on one pupil, you have to do it on the other. She will really come to life once the light is in her eyes. She should be feeling very Present now. Step back and breathe and let Her rest.
CLOSE UP WORK ON FEATURES ~ BONUS: REFINING DETAILS
This bonus video was filmed by a friend during an impromptu live session during the Spring Basic 2014 course. I am including it here since it demonstrates the detail work on the face’s features better than the one above.
© Flora Aube
OPTIONAL TRANSLUCENCE TECHNIQUE
© Flora Aube
Transcript for Translucence
I love using a translucent effect to produce a stronger ‘spirit essence’. Because I’m going over her face, and don’t want to lose the effects of her layering, I’m mixing just a SMALL amount of white mixed with A LOT of glaze medium so it is very sheer.
This brings a lovely luminous quality to Her. I am using the edge of a sponge brush and pushing it in various directions to diffuse any edges. Practice a bit with this motion before trying it on your big canvas.
Retouch certain areas to define them if they got lost under the glaze, but keep everything soft. While the glaze is drying on her face, start tending to her garment and hair or headdress…keep it all in Flow with Who She Is.
Continue to keep your strokes loose, and soft. Complete dimensionality in her garment, hair/or headdress using the same contouring techniques you applied to her face for darks and lights.
© Flora Aube
She arrives through the opening of our Soul. She meets us as deeply as we create space for Her, and loves us no matter what. Through the intimacy of our journey with Her, we earn the right to hear Her Sacred Message, and She entrusts us to share it. This is a great privilege and honor.
This marks the end of the ‘techniques’ portion of our course.
During the demonstrations, I was focused on making sure I captured the mechanics of the process so I could teach them to you. In doing so, my attention remained slightly ‘outside’ of Her. When the videographer went home I finally had the opportunity to sink into Her and we went through a dramatic transformation. This clearly demonstrates the radical difference between staying at the mechanical level in your painting versus deeply connecting and ALLOWING Her to move through you.
LET’S ENTER THE TRUE ART OF ALLOWING
THIS SLIDE SHOW CAPTURES THE MAIN PHASES AS SHE PROGRESSED, AS WELL AS THE INNER JOURNEY SHE TOOK ME THROUGH.
© Flora Aube
© Flora Aube
She told me her name is “Prayers for Peace”, and here is the wisdom message she brought:
“I am ‘Prayers For Peace’. I have come to heal the suffering of humankind with the blessing of radical compassion. True peace is born within the stillness of the heart, and cannot be shaken by the noise of the outside world.
The long journey home may take you through many dark gateways. When you feel lost, return to ‘Self Honoring’ and the key will magically appear. Embrace the Mysteries of the deep, dark spaces and you will discover the secrets of light. This burning is holy ground, and is necessary for purification. The heroine makes the journey for herself, as well as her sisters and brothers. You are becoming a vessel made of dove’s wings….so that you may hold the whole world.”
Our next lesson will take us deeper into the “Allowing” approach…