Concentration: The Emperor

This is the first oil painting I've done since the disastrous still life that I did at the beginning of the year, and honestly, I feel like the results are a lot better. I have not finished, and hopefully will by tomorrow, but I feel that this is a good piece, especially considering where it's coming from, and that it shows a lot of improvement.
    This is a painting of my brother, who does not want me to divulge information about him ever, so I will only say that the Emperor is a card of strength.  It is associated with the number four, which is considered one of the stablest numbers in numerology, and is also associated with the earth, which is the stablest element.  I have never known my brother to compromise on anything, and his unyielding sense of morality is one of his strongest qualities. A bit like Ron Swanson!

A draft sketch of the shadows that I really liked!

Sketching it out on the canvas. Note the nose.

I fixed the nose! And added shading areas.

Beginning the fabric, which is always my favorite part.

The bricks will keep changing, I kept
painting over them. 

The wall hanging on the left really annoys me.  

The bleachers were also difficult. 

I know the color of his skin looks weird in the pictures,
but it looks better in real life I promise!

I think the crown is pretty great. 

Background people and fixing the face!

More background people and extra
details!

I would like everyone to know that I regret my decision to stay on blogger and not switch to weebly when I had the chance.  It's just not letting me move the pictures! That's why this looks so horrible, okay, I promise I'm an artist. Sort of. 

     But more about this painting! It is fun to make, and I like it.  Also, the oil staying wet longer has allowed me to go back and fix the little things, and honestly I feel like I have paid so much more attention to this painting than I have paid attention to my art in a long time. And I know it's been taking forever and we only have a few more weeks to do everything, but I get a lot of satisfaction from knowing that I have done this painting as well as I could. 

    I didn't use any liquin either! The last oil painting I did, I doused everything in liquin, but I didn't use any this time, and the paint went on so smoothly. I love the way everything blends together, and how you can still see some of the brush strokes. It makes the painting look so concrete and abstract at the same time.  

    I will be posting the final painting as soon as I finish it, which will be some time next week, and I am excited to show you my next series of six!  Hopefully my improvements will be evident as I go through each medium again.