Motorcycle madness continues.....

Like they say on American Chopper, the bike is coming together!
The detail work on a piece like this is amazing....sometimes I will work on it for hours, and swear that it almost looks the same as when I began that day! But that's all part of the process.
I've been putting a lot more darks in, which always helps to pull ths shape together. The cloth underneath is various washes of vermillion, alizarin crimson, and dragon's blood....with a bit of lemon yellow underneath to shine through. The black on the bike will take layers and layers of Payne's grey, sometimes with some Indigo added. I really like how the handlebars came out....when I saw the bike in person I kept thinking about how difficult a bike like this would be to ride! The most unusual handlebars I've ever seen!
The work I have left to do will be quite challenging! The tire is a deep black blending up to a deep grey, and the platform it is sitting on is a very shiny deep black. Oh boy. I think it'll be best to tackle all that in the morning when I have all day to spend in the studio.....'cause I think it will take many hours to get it all looking like I want it to! This will end up being quite a dark painting, and won't look much like a watercolor at all, I imagine. And I hope to finish it, like I said, before the snow flies!! So I'd better get busy!

Motorcycle "madness......"

Does it only seem like forever that I've been working on this bike? I do like seeing the progress I've made, especially comparing how the painting looks now to how it looked a month ago! I knew this painting would call for a deep background. In the photos I took of the bike at the Convention Center, the surrounding colors of the Center were reflected in the chrome of the bike, so I had to stay true to the photo to accurately do justice to the painting.
Once I had laid down more color on the bike, I knew it was time to tackle the background. I put frisket on the outer edges of the bike, even on the already painted areas. Then I gritted my teeth, and laid down the wash. Boy, I was not happy when it dried! I recall one of my teachers saying that all paintings go through an ugly stage. Man, she wasn't kidding! After a few days of staring and it and debating about tossing the whole thing out, I grabbed a brush and added another deeper wash on the background. That saved the day. The deep background was what was needed to pop the bike and really intensify the areas I have already completed.
Major crisis averted.....now I just need to finish the bike itself. Many challenges await...the tires....the tiny details on the engine...refining the handlebars....!
Will it be snowing when I'm done????