The teacher said that Manet could be my muse, or perhaps Velasquez - two of my favorites. He liked my tonalities and broad swaths of color. He told me that in order to get the angle of the head right, that is looking upwards, to focus heavily on the shadows of the neck and jaw. I found this exciting, as you can note that beneath the jaw I subdivide the shadow tones into at least four segments, darkest, lighter, and even a reflected light immediately underneath the chin. The teacher emphasized the need to paint the eye within the socket, and to make sure it recedes into the dark hollows therein.
