"Hamlet" Master Study, pt. 1

So...I was right about this being challenging. 

Where the colors used to be one of the most intimidating parts of master studies (and they still are, but my ability to guess colors by sight has improved tenfold over the last year) my nemesis, proportions, is front and center this time. 

I am not surprised though, considering the size of the scene and the amount of people in it. I thought I had everyone in the right spot before I enlarged the canvas, but some of them are off enough for it to be a distraction. It will keep bothering me until I fix it, so I am going to stop where I am, shrink it back down and correct what is wrong first.

A few other observations:

Figuring out the color of the throne took me the longest. At first glance it looked like a richer blue, but it is actually a dark grey-teal. The grayer the color is, the harder it is for me to see, but with every master study I do it becomes easier to see those subtle shifts in hue. 

My brain could not process just how much space there was between King Claudius and Queen Gertrude, so I had to keep moving her over until it looked right. I feel like Abbey put her in the middle of the composition for a reason, even though Hamlet and Ophelia are very clearly the focal point of the entire painting (lightest colors on Ophelia, darkest and richest colors on Hamlet. That purple is very jarring)  the Queen's head and hand are surrounded by a darker value, which I think was meant to draw attention to her wide-eyed expression, the only expression that isn't neutral.

For anyone that is curious, I attached are two files below that explain some of the tools and methods I use to start my master studies.

Now let's try to dissect some of Abbey's own WIPs:

This first one is what I assume was his gesture drawing for Ophelia and Hamlet, just to get the idea down. Hamlet looks dead in these??? I like that the little cropped box in the corner makes it look like he was planning to do a painting of just the two of them, but that is only a guess on my part. 

Three very crude studies! Not sure about the order he did them in, but it is fascinating to see the composition change when you know the final outcome. Leaving the left side of the painting empty, switching the positions of the King and Queen, and how at one point she was in fact an obvious focal point while the king faded into the shadows beside her.

My favorite part is how much Hamlet kept evolving. His pose, looking forward, off to the side and then with eyes closed, Ophelia remained pretty much the same from beginning to end. This is the perfect example of knowing exactly how you want something to look vs. having to work to get it right.