Oil painting number 2 week 1 & 2

This is now week 4 and 5 of my painting class, we started a new painting with a different model. I got a canvas that is twice the size of my last one this time so I will find it easier. 

I think either I am starting to understand what's happening or the size of the canvas really helped, I think it went pretty well. So my approach was only using burnt amber to map out the whole painting and note down the shadow and light area for the second week. I struggled with the legs again and tutor Anastasia Pollard had to help me find the knees. She is quite impressed that I got most things pretty much right this time and said I was miles away from where I was with my last one.

Coming into the second week of this painting here, I was quite confused with getting the palete right as usual but I think in the end I somehow understood how the colours work. The things to remeber are shadows are a bit green and when you lighen up a shadow you can use yellow but too green will look strange. It's just a better option instead of white 

because it can be a bit much sometimes!

Even tho the spot light on the model is white is infact blue? Which is why the shadows should be a bit green. It was kind of strange for me when I understood how to draw the dark areas but confused with the midtones. Anastia then said it should be a bit green, so this puddle I made on the palette was almost like ducks poo. However I tried it on the thigh area anyway but wow it fitted in so well and you cannot even tell it is green at all! These classes are pretty short in a way but I am always suprised how much I have done when I compare the before and after!!

Next lesson I will work on the midtones, hightlights and avoid doing weird dark outlines as my good friend said I don't believe they exist in real life! Try to break reality and use values to differentiate depth.

He also shown me some homework he's been doing on his course, where he's draw a human head figure using just burnt amber with solvent, and then burnt amber with white. So that he understands his equipment. I really should do something like that too:)