STEP 11

I continued working on the golden scarf, giving the folds more definition, and began adding an overall red-brown hue to the fabric where it lingers in the shadow. I did this to give it some more depth, since sticking to only lights and darks of one and the same colour would make it look flat.

Also, the blue scarf got some more attention, although hardly visible.

The face once again received some touch-ups as well, mainly the shadows. I definted those on the cheek, next to the nose and by the chin, and pulled them slightly more into the face, letting them fade out more smoothly as they hit the light areas.

STEP 12

And again. Same areas as before, more detail work and rendering of the colours, shadows and highlights. Also, I corrected her lips a little.

The blue headscarf recieved more attention, too; I worked on the folds and once more somewhat corrected the outline on the left and on the forehead - the shadows there were a touch too sharp.

STEP 13

Here I worked a bit more on the jacket, collar and neck/chin area. I also added the birthmark on her left cheek and hinted at the eyebrows with a very light yellow-orange colour. You may notice I didn't even bother painting all the tiny hairs of her brows; it simply isn't necessary, even if you were to go for total photo realism.

Something to bear in mind during these final stages is to not hurry just because you have lost your patience, as well as still paying the same amount of attention as in the early stages. Keep looking at the reference picture (if one is used), that is what it's there for.

STEP 14

More blending on the shadowed cheek here. Also, now was the time for me to paint her eyelashes on the lower lids. Again, I didn't even bother with single hairs, but just dotted a hint of lashes along her lids. To make them look more as though they are actually sticking out, instead of lying on her skin, I added some tiny highlights between the dots where the light would hit, and left the parts beneath the dots as they were to give the impression of shadows.

Aside from this, I once again fixed up the shadows around her cheekbone and temple, as well as around her nose, lightly adding some deeper red and brown tones.

STEP 15

Time for the finishing touches.

Firstly, the part that gave the portrait its name (from the early 19th century onwards): the pearl earring. I left it for last so - as said - I wouldn't have any problems painting all the other bits and pieces, as I do not use layers all over the place. I first filled it in with one colour only - a deep red brown, which is still visible on the left of the pearl, reflecting the colour of her neck. Then I added a khaki brown tone on the right of the pearl, almost like the darker colours used in the golden scarf, to reflect said scarf. The rather sharp highlights are not white, but a mix of grey and peach. For the thin golden loop wire I used a tiny brush at very low opacity, and chose a colour only slightly lighter than the skin colour around the ear.

Then I fixed the shape of her eyebrows, as well as the pupil of the eye on the left (which was slightly smaller than the one on the right). Some more work went into the lips as well.

The blue headscarf received its criss cross weave pattern on the top of her head where the light hits it, and I used a pale blue as well as a grey purple to make it blend with the rest.

If you want to keep a painterly feel rather than a smooth photo realistic one, consider that you shouldn't really render everything to death. So, do know when to stop. This may sound strange, but a piece will tell you when it's finished. =]