A little work on the hand today. The lady is, in fact, leaning forwards to take a photo on her digital phone. This reference will date this painting in the years to come I suppose!
I have also blocked in a little more to the background. A kitchen of this type will have a fair amount of technical equipment and will need power supplies to match. It also gives an almost 'warehouse' living theme.

Today I worked on some of the detail on the bench top and the pots etc. There is still more to do but it needs to dry before the finer details can be added. When I work on the details, I sometimes finish the session by completing the underpainting to a larger area. I think that it gives a psychological feeling of more progress but is necessary anyway so that the details can be added when it is dry. 

I will need to make some adjustments to the hand that appears in front of the young lady's head, but I am content with the progress on the lady standing behind. There are many different perspectives to this work which, combined with the angle of the painting on the easel, can present some unusual optical effects. In these cases you have to trust your eye and make a few minor adjustments as you complete the work. 

I have added some detail to the girl's hair but will need to add a few more refinements at a later stage. I have adjusted the hand which is in front of the girl. This hand belongs to the lady who is to the left of the girl and will be lit by the light from above. I will then soften the edges and make the girls hair come over the hand which will add dimension. I am considering the tones of the lady's back, behind the girl, so that I can soften the back of the girl also. This will, not only add dimension but stop a feeling that the girl is 'superimposed' or 'stuck' on top of the scene.

Two posts in one day!!! I couldn't resist a few touch-ups and to block in the hair. It has been 33 to 36 degrees C over the last few days with 80%+ humidity. Not the best weather for painting in a non air conditioned studio. Short stints work best for me under these 'sweaty' conditions.

Again only minor additions to the painting on the bowl and reflections (a little warm tone under the highlight on the top rim) plus blocking in of the figure bending behind the female in the foreground at the left. In contrast to the bright colours of my painting of Ellen's Stardust Diner, the colours of this painting are much more subdued. The under painting to the garment of the figure just blocked in, is a mixture of Alizarin Crimson, Chrome yellow and flake white. On their own, they would be too vibrant, so I add a touch of the complementary, blue (Indigo) , in order to tone it down. It is a technique that I use to darken a colour to use in its shadow.

Just a few minor adjustments to the bowl to increase the feeling of reflectiveness. Another under-paint to the cupboard behind the bowl and a little more to the reflections on the bench top. Some progress on the tin cooking tray that contains the bowl  All in all minor adjustments but it is those that make the difference to the feeling of 'correctness' in a completed painting. Having just reviewed this pose i can say that the colour of the bowl shadow will be different in the next post.

I have started to add some of the reflections on the bench surface and begun to add some refinements to the bowl on the bench top. I felt that the small dish on the bench top was a little small to be in proportion so I have enlarged it. More overpainting will be needed to negate the effect of the smaller one under.