Had a little time before the podcast this morning to work a little on this. I added some details and fixed a couple of the chairs. I don't want to add any more details and am reviewing even the shutters on the  yellow building on the right. So far, I'm pretty happy with it. I decided to take it to the extreme and abstracted it further, because of that Rothko documentary. I think this version would not work unless I was using real paint, layering thinned down colors as he did as the subtlety would be lost.

 I felt like I had hit a kind of wall with the image as I had been working it. I felt too slavish to the details, was too mired in the tiny things and was missing the point of the whole image, which was to evoke the feeling of sitting in this area of Harvard Square. Then I watched a documentary on Mark Rothko and felt inspired. After watching it, I did what I've often done with some of my images; I deleted the stuff that was too fussy. Usually, it's a line work layer. In this case, I started over, using the same pencil drawing but I held the pencil at the very back end so I had less control. I didn't do most of the detail of the background and worked my way forward only adding as little technique as possible. I'm going to sleep on it but instinct says this was a better way to go. And if that's the case, I don't mind that I put so much work into the other version. If I'm happy with the final piece, it just means that was a necessary step. 

 Worked today, but managed to do a bit on this in the evening. I completely re-drew the woman seated in red. She's kind of a focal point of the image and I thought I could do better. So, I did. I also decided to move one of the chairs in the foreground over a bit to the left which helps fill in a bare spot and  balances the composition better. The wonders of digital art and layers. Did a bunch of little color tweaks. Right now, especially in thumbnail, it's working really well for me. This is Max's favorite place in Harvard Square to sit and I thought he might like a little of it at home. 

 And a slight update. I didn't finish everything but I did go bak and fix some things that really needed it. So, it's coming along. At least I got to listen to some good records today while working on this.

 I have to be in the mood and today, I was. This image has been kicking around for probably close to five years at this point. I'd really like to get it done. I did do a bunch of work on it today and might even get the bits and pieces finished. Maybe. That being said, it's coming along. There's going to be a LOT of color shifting before I decide it's done. But so far, I'm happy with the way it's going.

 "Side Eye." Finished tonight. I decided to keep most of the image in shades of grey and just color his face. That warm brown looks, to my eyes, really interesting against the grey background and blacks. The highlights in purple was a last minute change that I think makes them more interesting. Please click on this as the white background is overwhelming it and making it hard to see.

 It was a busy day off but I managed to get started on another portrait. I haven't done that many of these this year, and most of them are selfies. This is Ian, whom I've done twice before. He's giving us the side eye. The contrast of the highlights and mid tones is too high, but I'll fix that in color.

I've been trying to work on the look for the next track, trying to get out of my head a bit. I came across an artist in Instagram who does some amazing things with figures, kind of suggesting anatomy but ignoring its boundaries as well. So, here are some early sketches.