Back to work we go...

Well after spending over an hour sketching her onto a clean sheet of paper, I decided to give my original "Woman with Wine" another go. I just really hate to lose all of that work. I'm fairly happy with how her dress turned out and overall I'm pleased with her. I think I've determined the problem with the shadows.

I had planned to do her in watercolor when I started, but after not being happy with the texture of her skin, I began adding watered down acrylic. The problem was that I was not watering down the acrylic enough, so I was not getting the smooth wash that I was looking for. And instead of thinning the paint out more, I began using less water, until I was using basically straight acrylic. So now her skin is quite thick with acrylic (which has sealed the paper) and now the watered down paint is not producing the smooth coverage I want for the shadows. So yesterday I sat and played with some watercolor, trying to get the right color and placement of the shadows. The results are much closer to the look I'm going for, so I'm going to try again with very watery acrylic and see if it works. I want the shadows to be very clean and sharp, as was quite common in the graphic art of the Deco period. The photos below are what the painting looks like currently...any input, critiques are certainly welcome.