While painting something else I ended up with a surplus of orange and did a quick sketch that I looked forward to paint. But it did not work out, so I gessoed (white paint) over it and started over.

This is Embrace 2.0 and there are many things I like about this painting, and I can also see many areas I can improve. I like the contrast of the ochre yellow and blue. The crazy colored head strands gives them movement. The seemingly flat colors of the clothes contrast the fading organic patterns of the background. The eyes are a step up of what I first did, but they can use more contrast and directional highlights. The arms could use a little more bone structure to them, so they don’t look so sausage like. The boy’s head is stiff, so the head-neck-body connection needs to flow as a unit. Embrace 3.0?

I predict more embraces in the future drawn, painted, and real ones. So, a warm hug to you today.