Trick of the day

Oil on 8x9 board canvas. Some tips from Ric Morris that's worth noting: i) shadow of the figure also looked better when it is scraped by a palette knife; it gives an atmospheric effect. ii)White skin complexion reflects a light to the background like luminous. It is always practical to diffuse darker background for a better space effect. iii) To make a transition from light to dark, every gradiation of tone must be applied by a brushstroke with such care; never push a paint around to blend the tone with a brush. A dry brush technique might be a good idea but it is only done sparingly. iv) each brushstrokes must be decisively "hitting the target" , not a guessing game, so as not to waste time finishing the job. This process undeniably requires a lot of conscious effort. It never happens overnight. Believe me, this is easier said than done. This work was done in 3 hours.