I finally got back to the NGA to continue my copy of Degas' "Before the Ballet". I decided to start with the four little ballerinas in the upper left who are stretching at the barre. From where I was standing, I couldn't really see them clearly, but when I walked up to the painting and examined them, I saw that each one is facing in a different direction. Degas kept these figures very loose and gestural, with no detail. I saw that I had placed them a little too far to the left, so I shifted them towards the door. Here is a detail of them at that point:
I then started to paint the floor. I had laid in the color that I thought was underneath, but today I saw that it wasn't dark enough. I went over the floor with a darker red, and started to add the viridian green. At this point it was time for lunch.
After lunch, I continued painting the floor. I worked for about an hour, but then I realized I was pretty tired so I decided to save the rest for next time. I still need to address the walls, which have some light blue-green scumbled on them, and touch up the two large figures. I'll probably repaint the floor again. Next time!
Click on the pictures for a larger view
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