Emulation Exercise: Liepke's Brunette

In my studio, I have a leaflet with a painting that I really like from Malcom Liepke.  I was sitting on my bed with my DS looking to paint and thought it would be great to study how someone paints by painting their painting.  The exercise itself goes beyond mere copying.  It's a little like singing along with a good song--exercising by emulation helps me understand the choices that artist made with value, color and light.   I admire the energy and richness of Liepke's paintings. This image took me about an hour and a half to render, allowing me to feel more comfortable with the DS controls in Colors.