Lincoln

This is the first pic I took of the Lincoln piece just after I started painting it. At this stage I'm beginning to establish darks and lights as well as hinting at some of the colors that will come in successive layers.

This is the first time I'm using pure lapis (lazurite) Ultramarine for the sky from a batch that I made myself. A lot of people claim that there is no real difference between the look of real lazurite and over the counter Ultramarine. But there is actually a BIG difference! The lazurite is quite a bit more subtle, but also has a more natural look that suits itself to mixtures. I think it came out very nicely!