Last night I masked out the entire image, including the solid sections of the goal. I mixed a very light sky blue with cerulean blue, turquoise and white acrylics, then airbrushed it across the midsection of the piece and upward. I added more blue and continued to the top, swirling the brush to give the hint of clouds. Next, I mixed a light green and airbrushed from the midsection downward. I added more green and continued down to the bottom.
I knew the net was going to be a tricky thing, as my luck with brushes and paint hasn’t been great of late. I happened to have bought some bottles with fine funnel tips on them for applying thin lines of glue, masking fluid, or paint a few weeks ago. I considered using it before the airbrushing to apply masking, but since the lines cross each other, likely it would create a mess before I was done. So, this morning, I mixed a medium thickness white acrylic paint and filled the bottle. I then began applying strips of the paint along the net lines. I had a little trouble at first, as the mixing of the paint had created air bubbles, and they would pop out from time to time, leaving blotches in its path. I capped the bottle and let it sit for a while in hopes of settling those bubbles. I came back later and tried again, and it was a much more pleasant experience. After an hour or so I had finally covered every line.
With the background now complete and dry, I reorganized the masking to only expose the white areas of the outfit (her top and socks, also the ball). I mixed a gray acrylic, then airbrushed those areas, going over parts that need to be darker, creating the contour and form. Once that dried, I changed the masking again to expose only the top part of the outfit and waist of the skirt. These were colored a dark purple (purple, gray, and black). I moved the masking once more to show the skirt and the remaining trim of the top. I airbrushed these pink. I then covered the ball and socks, and used a black acrylic to form the shadow beneath her and the ball. Finally, I unmasked the ball, and re-applied the masking around the ball to I could add a little green on the bottom of the ball for a bit of radiosity from the grass (something I learned in my 3D animation days).
With all the airbrush work now completed, I removed all the masking and began brush painting. I painted the facial features, then the hair. I didn’t get to the shoes today, but that should go quickly, then I can get started on the skin work…