Jessica Crabtree

The first shot of what will be a full-length portrait, Atsina, on 16×32 suede. (Click to zoom.)

For the face I started out with an initial layer of black (for shadows) and my favorite Sennelier red ochre. A little bit of Nupastel 353 (“Cordovan red”) and it’s beginning to look a bit more human. I’ll add the highlighting on the cheeks and nose last. I also added the some of the same red tones to the hair, to indicate reflected light.

In the original Curtis photo, the girl is wearing a gorgeous floor-length buffalo robe. The color of the buckskin will stand out against the suede backdrop once I’ve blended a darker color around the edges for contrast. A little background shadow will add depth and pull the picture together.

More coming soon!

Close up view: