"Ahh ... the frame?" he nodded much the way negotiators do when considering the latest peace deal in the middle east.
"Yes," I said. "You remember, that square wooden thing that goes around the painting."
"What do you think it will cost?"
"Anything between $400 and $600."
"Really, that much!"
"Well at least you won't have to pay it."



From the detailed view you can see above a couple of things you might note before considering the overall result below. One is the use of a fine strand of hair to satisfy the eye that the painter is aware of detail. Very little is needed in this regard yet the hair and a few twigs will do the job satisfactorily. Too much detail here is distracting. Note also how the previously prominent left shoulder is less noticeable.
Also note the introduction of the pink tints in the ear, cheeks, fingers and other joints and body peripherals.

To achieve the final finished view as seen left it was necessary to introduce three additional elements, a foreground, a middle ground and a far distance. Not all paintings necessarily benefit from such perspective but most do so I mixed the necessary values and had my student complete the scene. Combining barren hills, sandstone blocks, a slight horizon blue and atmospheric warmth at the top of the picture a Mediterranean or 'classical' look can be readily established. Darkening the folds of the drape with a transparent glaze of phalo blue creates a more dramatic note and a degree of 'wall presence'. That the torso is the link between the sky and the ground is also a deliberate painter's ploy to emphasise the subject matter. My student spent some time painting the flowers and foreground leaves and it was during this period his enthusiasm finally waned and was overtaken by a far more derisive and aggressive state of mind.
There seemed no point in my saying anything.
When dry the painting was varnished.

I can now report all this happened a while ago and currently the picture lies unframed in a little visited attic. The lady has since moved on. Had the relationship not ended so acrimoniously she would most likely have possession of the painting she mostly desired but payback became more important than payment. As it is it looks like providing the background for another picture.
"It's such a pity to waste a good, big canvas and a decent stretcher," I said cheerfully to my student. "Take a last look and bring it around to the studio. We will paint something else over the top.
And we did.