I'm making some progress on a small panel, part of the BDSM skeleton series, portraying a beautiful woman with a skeleton lover. I got the underpainting on the figure and skeleton done, and started doing some finishing work on the figure's head. The arms of the skeleton will be put in last - he will be holding her hand, and with his left hand, caressing her face.
Had a bit of trouble with the model's left leg. It got distorted when I did the transfer of the drawing to the panel, plus, I think the drawing had some flaw in it to begin with. So I spent yesterday making corrections.
This is one of the most fair complexioned figures I've ever done. The subtle differences in the tone make it a good exercise in seeing and tonality. She has the most beautiful skin tones.
The real challenge of this painting is making all the elements work together in a believable way. I do not have an antique sofa - I had to extrapolate it. The model was actually seated on a black futon. Additionally, I had to extrapolate the relationship between the skeleton and the model. I had her pose with the skeleton, but we could not get it into exactly the right position.
The skeleton has a smile, the figure a frown. Is this "death smiling on the living" or "the living dreading their mortality"? Art that depicts skeletons is often an allegory for metaphysical concepts, pagan rituals or tha macabre. OTH I see it as a parody about society's religious fixations.
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