Just to briefly mention technique: the base-coat was applied with dilute paint, in 3 or 4 passes over the figure, rather than 1 or 2 heavier layers of paint. It is applied in this way in order to preserve the detail and retain a good surface for future layers of paint. If your base-coat is too thick, it can both obscure some detail, and also create a slightly shiny, plastic-looking and 'slick' surface, which will cause paint application problems in the proceeding stages and make smooth painting more difficult.

Step 2:

       The next stage was to begin some rudimentary shading of the flesh, to start establishing the shadowed zones. For this step, I mixed up 5 different colours on my palette, as you can see in the palette photo: (1) a slightly deeper, more yellow-brown version of the base colour; (2) a more intense, darker yellow-orange brown; (3) a dark red-brown; (4) an olive green, darker again; and (5) a dark teal-grey. You can get a feel for the consistency of the paint by looking at the paper towel (kitchen paper) on the right of the photo, where I have been wiping off the brush after mixing.

       The reason I mixed five colours for the first stage of shading, rather than just one, is very important for my way of painting. I like to have the flexibility of being able to work with a variety of tones simultaneously when painting, as I find that it gives a more interesting, 'nuanced' result, and is also faster and easier for me. The idea is that if you have a variety of tones available on the palette, you can very easily make subtle (or quite obvious) changes of hue over the surface, in order to create a more complex and interesting tone. It also allows more control over the 'areas of special attention' or 'focal points' for the viewer; that is, by modifying the colours in a certain way, you can either draw more attention to a part of the figure you feel is important, or create an effect that will move the viewer's eye in a certain direction.

       For example, I knew I wanted the mid-upper section of the torso, around the chest and upper shoulders, to be quite warm and light in feeling, in order to direct the focus up toward the face. In contrast, the mid-to-lower arms, lower torso, and especially the side torso under the arms (where the serratus muscles lie), were to be colder in colour, further emphasising the effect of pushing the eye towards the centre and upwards. So, I applied this logic to the way I applied these first shading colours, using the red-brown (3) and yellow brown (2) colours mainly around the upper torso and shoulders, moving the colour colder (4) and (5) in the lower and side areas, as you can see in the photo. The lighter colour on the palette (1) was used a a sort of 'clean-up' colour: if some roughness started to occur in the transitions, thin layers of (1) painted over the areas as a glaze helped to smooth out any problems.

       For me, working in this way with several colours at once, is one of the greatest advantages of using the 'successive glazing' (or 'juices') method of painting, instead of more traditional forms of layering. It is useful having all the colours ready on the palette, because it allows you to monitor and modify the result as you go. I switch between the colours very rapidly, adding a layer of this colour here, a little of that colour there, a little more of that colour in this part, a bit more in that area where it is not strong enough, and so on...it is a very rapid, fluid process. This is what I mean by the flexibility of this technique – the colours are gradually built-up on the surface with lots of overlapping layers, and you can just keep adding more layers until you feel it 'looks right'.