New Commission...

 I had a most unusual request to paint a special childhood memory.  A teen girl in clown costume and a unicycle.  NOT my usual!   I knew what it was going to take to accomplish a good painting.  Skill and patience.  I put it off...I procrastinated. I finally bit the bullet and I started.  I have permission to share.

I draw well and this drawing STILL took 8 hours.  I erased, I studied, I drew, I erased... ALL my paintings have a "by hand drawing".  No tracing, no use of anything but my hand and pencil. 
Teaching note: Spend time studying your subject so you understand the light and dark areas.  Take your time, a painting is not a race.  If it was a race, think of it as a marathon.
NEVER start with paint until you know the drawing is correct!  I forgot to photo the drawing until after I started painting!  The paper size is 11x15" fitting into a 14x18 frame.

I start with washes, saving the lighter areas.

Slowly building.  Notice all the values of blue, how I created the folds at the bottom, giving it dimension and movement.
Teaching note: Remember to dry hard with each wash.

There is a pressure that comes with each commission, even after 47 years, I feel it.  I am confident in my skills but there is more to it.   You are fulfilling a clients dream.  Their idea of what they want the painting to look like.  I  have only a photo to work with, not all the memories that go with it.