Monday Morning Woman

 Drawn from life, yesterday morning, at Ruta Maya.

Tombow marker and ink, with water and brush, on Bristol.

The smaller sketch can serve as a thumbnail, with sufficient light and dark information, if I decide to paint this.

It was very dark inside the cafe yesterday morning.  And it was crowded with holiday get-togethers, including one revolving around a doula and her clients and their small children.  Several of the children came by to watch me paint the portrait and ask questions.

Woman In Red Glasses, Reading; Woman In Red Glasses And Blue Scarf

Painted/drawn this morning, en plein air (outdoors), by the lakeside.

Woman In Red Glasses, Reading is oil pastel on 11"x14" canvas.

Woman In Red Glasses And Blue Scarf is oil pastel on approximately 12"x20" card.

The model, a dancer, was reading an art theory book, courtesy of one of the painters. Her glasses, highly decorative, are purely a fashion accessory.

In the background you can see a white swan and several black coots.  Coots are funny ducklike creatures with chicken feet and loud querulous voices.  Don't know if any of these coots are old.

I expect to paint the background and leave the foreground pretty much as is shown, here.


The drawing of the face will probably change a bit, as well.