Work in Progress where progress was made

French Waiters, 24x24

From 10-23 post, works in progress

So this painting has been stuck in my craw for over a year, when I first started it. During my 10 days off over Christmas I finally "saw" what I needed to do and I literally reworked the whole painting in short order. I love it when that happens! I softened edges, unified objects and made the painting local tone instead of light and shadow. Local tone is where you have three major value groups, light, medium and dark, with a diffused sense of light. So, for example on the waiters aprons, I wanted the apron to read as one shape not with the wrinkles or folds showing so much light/shadow. Same with their shirts. I brought the light down and the  shadows up to be closer in value where you see the shirt as one shape versus what is the light and what isn't without losing the form. The plates I blended more together instead of trying to make them each read separately. I tied in the waiters dishrag into the stainless steel and darkened the reflection (floor tiles) on the stainless steel by the waiter on the right so he isn't quite so carved out but more unified. The pots and pans were all downplayed and again unified into the whole, correcting some of the drawing on them as well. I also warmed the tones of the waiter on the left and will do that with the waiter on the right now that I see it needs that from this photo. I did warm up the arm of his that is reaching as it was too blue and looked "dead."