More Alla Prima Portraits, or Face Off Warm-up Post 3

More Face-Off warm up. 20 minute sessions. You may see my first couple of practice post here and here. Enjoy...I did!

In the first 20 minutes I did a line drawing using burnt umber paint straight out of the tube. My canvas is a Fredrix, Pro, Belgian Linen, previously stained with Gamblin Fast Matte, in a combination of transparent earth red and ultramarine blue.

During the second 20 minutes I added a little background, placed the nose, lips and started laying in the chin and neck.
Click Read More to see the rest of the in-progress pictures below the break.

In the third 20 minutes I was working from the shadow side into the light.

 The fourth 20 minutes I just kept working from the darks to the lights.

In the fifth 20 minute session I added more mid-tones and the highlights.

Detail

In the sixth 20 minute session I finished the hair and shape of the head. This should really have been the last session.

Dan, 20x16, oil on Belgian linen

Dan agreed to sit for another 10 minutes so I could get in the ear and a bit of the neck and shirt.
What was working well:
~I'm fairly happy with the brushwork on this one.
~Pre-mixed color worked well.
~Using no medium worked fairly well, I'd like to try a little medium again and just control it a little better.

Things to work on:
~I still need to speed up. This was a little longer than 3 hours, I'd like to get it down to 2 1/2.
~I want to consider the entire painting composition more fully from the start.
~Work on the background a bit more, maybe with more transparent paint...