Dancing Figures - male, female

There's something about figure painting that feels different than other painting.  Maybe painter and viewers identify with it on some level: it reminds us of someone,  sparks an emotion related to the subject or pose, or we're just curious about how this person differs from ourself.  They're fun but challenging to paint.

I found some dance reference photos to experiment with.  I wasn't concerned about making the features realistically but didn't want proportions too loose or they'd distracting to the viewer.

And, something new... I used a palette knife!  I rarely do.  Yes, I did use a brush for the negative space (background), to sketch in the figure and do some initial value work.  But then, when I got to the skin surface, I began using the palette knife.  It really creates a neat texture on the skin-- a multi-color abstract surface rather than smooth flat skin tones.  This textured multicolor layering works well since our skin is made of so many tones.  (click image to enlarge and see texture - THOUGH my photos are a bit blurry; I need to reshoot)

I pushed it even further with the male dancer... allowing the blue underpainting that was already on the canvas to come through.  Not my plan initially but as the painting developed I liked the effect of this blue poking through.

Did you read about the fab trip Carol Marine's going on?  In the Sierras...a camping/painting adventure with mules packing in food and tents, artists packing in their painting equipt.  Makes me want to be a plein air painter. You can read about it here. http://carolmarine.blogspot.com/