ACRYLIC TUTORIAL "FAERY QUEEN", PAGE 10

STEP TEN (LAST!): SPARKLES AND FAR BACKGROUND DEVELOPMENT

This step includes a painstaking process where I add tiny flecks to make everything look sparkly-thus adding an otherworldly feel to the environment. To do these, I use my trusty 10/0 shader and 10/0 round brushes. I try to put the sparkles on the parts of the painting that would be raised bumps if it were in real life. This makes everything look more three-dimensional, as raised areas are usually lighter. So the top edges of the dress folds are a good place, the knobs on the tree trunk are a good place, and the parts of the face and body that stick out the most are also good places (such as the end of the nose, cheekbones, chin, collarbones, etc). I don't just go at it with white-each area of sparkles has a mix of titanium white plus a little of the surrounding color in it. For example, the tree sparkles are more of a pale yellow, the dress sparkles a pale lavender, the wing sparkles a pale pink, etc.

I've done considerable work on the flower vines here. I have put a pale glaze over all the flowers to even out the color yet still show the depth created by the colors below, and the vines have received deeper shadows.

The sky in the background now has a gradation on the top of process magenta, which has also been applied to the ground. The ground is further molded with cadmium orange, and all of the trees have been further highlighted with lighter glazes and sparkles.

The owl has received some pale glazes on the feathers in addition to the sparkles, the flute now has a long highlight down the center, and the little purple jewels in the fairy's headdress and brooch have been refined with deep shadow and bright highlight in the middle. Last but not least, I have put my little signature in the corner in a matching color!

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