Started adding background

Last night, I started with the background. I have used a mixture of Transparent Oxide Brown and Ultramarine Blue for the darks and gradually lightened it by adding more Winsor & Newton Liquin to the mixture.

This morning I came back to the painting and thought of wiping some of the light area with a rag to make it lighter and have the canvas weave show a little. I'm still deciding if I should keep it or hide the canvas weave.

Finished Umber Under-Layer

I've finished the Umber Under-Layer where I stated the values with a mixture of Old Holland Burnt Umber and Lead White. That way, when I start adding the local colors of the still life, the under layer will keep me in check with my values.