However, at least I have started and I think the biggest barrier to my progress is the lack of confidence that I can actually pull this off.
This is my initail drawing and based very much on the original painting. Its is approximately 18x24 and that will be the size of the finished piece.
This the first colour study I did on paper. Its not as abstract as I would like it be and the colour base that I have transferred to the linen canvas is still too reliant on the original painting.
As I worked on the drawing and under painting, I also created my own masks from paper clay. Working on these made me realise that I really need to do some more figure drawing work as I had no idea on how mold the face, even when looking at modelling books (I once thought I could do polymer clay figures but quickly realise I don't have the patience or inclination to do such detailed work) However I continued in my pursue and ended up with 8 masks that I might use in the final piece (they are a bit thick :( )
So now I have the painting on canvas (from a roll I bought several years ago, I am determine to use what supplies I already have), what do I do now? I rumaged through the fabric I had and rather tacked on a few pieces to see what it looked like. Unfortunately, in my rush to get them down, I wasn't really thinking and used glue on satin and brocade material . I have since replace the brocade material with another piece as the stain caused by the glue was too distracting. With the satin, I think I can remedy that with some embroidery.
As I said I am now on stage 5 and beginning to add embroidery and beads. Somehow I need to integrate all the parts into one to create a unified picture surface. I am beginning to like the top and bottom but the middle is just the middle at the moment. I think the white shape of the figure is going to be the key to resolving this problem.
