Inspired by Get Low

about 8x10 inches, watercolor from the film, Get Low

My husband and I watch lots of movies on DVD, usually over a hundred a year.  Lately I have been struck by how beautiful the lighting is in many of the films we watch. The filmmakers seem to take real care in framing each shot so that it has interesting patterns of light and dark.  In Get Low I noticed that the older characters were shot often in interior shots, or with strong directional light that emphasized the character in their faces.  

After we watched the movie, the next day I went through it again, looking for shots I especially liked, and then pausing and doing quick draws.  There were a few that were too lovely to just sketch, so I took a picture of the TV screen as a reference.  This small painting in a notebook is from one of the reference photos.  I didn't intend to work in so many layers, and lift so much, but I am pleased with the part of the character's face that was highlighted.  I used colors suggested in Charles Reid's book, The Natural Way to Paint - cadmium red, raw sienna, cobalt blue.  Then I also added some burnt sienna on his forehead, and some Paynes gray for the darkest darks, and a touch of burnt umber also. I like how he turned out.