In a local open studio offered by PAOA, I practiced a monochrome study using the "sight-size" technique. Approx 3 hours of work and I feel it still needs quite a bit of tweaking. I did add a little color to the skin areas and some white on the highlights.I used burnt umber on a 14"x18" linen canvas. When I prepared my canvas with a wash of burnt umber the previous day, I used Artisan oils with the Artisan thinner. This was a mistake. When I attempted to remove paint to achieve the highlights, it did not come off easily or at all. I should have used water for the wash. It is a learning experience working with water-misible oils. (Below) a photo of the in-progress painting with model set to size.
