Thanks for the comments and an update … i am thinking if and how I will do the necklage jewelary … ir is quite bright with strong almost white highlightts but I want to keep it impressionistic and not so precise …

May I ask, in terms of painting experience, what does the Neo Megilp (what a name!) medium do for you?

Incidentally, the facial expression shows real personality.

Funny name indeed. I decided to try a bottle after reading some positive reviews here on Wetcanvas. I like to retain brushmarks and therefore often paint without medium, just the paint from the tube (I use the softer paint brans like Van Gogh and Rembrandt that you can brush out without a medium).

Now this Neo Megilp is for me a usefull medium as it is quite gelly when it comes from the bottle. When you manipulate it it becomes liquid for as long is you manipulate it and it becomes gelly again when you stop doing that. I use a tiny amount to make the paint a bit more liquid and that eases the appliance of the paint on the panel … but when you finish your stroke it becomes gelly again so the brushstroke is retained better then when using more fluid mediums …. hope this all makes sense. By the way I do something simular with acrylic paints as I then mix my paints with (gloss) gel medium as well (and less or no water).

p.s. the term that describes the behavior is … Thixotropic. You can find some more info on the Gamblin site. I am a fan now.

Almost finished , removed the necklage, finished the hair and corrected the jawline

Thanks for the comments … and yes i will try out the gamblin gel as well in a later portrait as i think thats even better consistency wise ..