a bit about me, my great aunt (mary ellen silkotch, cf: whos who in american artists)was a reasonably successful and respected artist, primarily known for floral still lifes and portraits (alla prima). before she passed on, she encouraged me to pursue my interest (talent, i guess, but that's subjective) and carry on the tradition. two years ago i attended the schoolv of visual arts, (post-grad, but i didnt finish the mfa because my wife and i had a baby and i needed to get back to making money) where i learned discipline in drawing, but surprisingy little about the mechanics of underpainting. in fact, i have noticed a great paradox in most art instruction that i have come across, namely, that discipline in drawing is beaten into the student to the point of encouraging a hesitant and tentative approach to tone and line, yet free reign is given with respect to color choice, composition, and value decisions regarding paintings. i find that i have had to in effect learn everything i have learned by myself the hard way (except for anatomy, the instruction of which i found invaluable) but since i am now 30, i dont have time for cracking, unexpected cadaverous effects, uneven gloss one month into a portrait, etc..

im interested in this site because the penumbra/verdaccio underpainting process was well described, and i think that there might be a lot to be gained from the moderators and posters here. hopefully i will be able to add something.

o, and mr antonov, i speak russian. prob not as good as your english, but i understand just about everything. ? ? ???? ???? ??????

take care, and thanks for any advice to a beginner poster you might provide re: my username.