Stage 1

Stage 1: Starting a new painting for me always starts with a photoshoot and editing photos in Photoshop to create the composition that I want. In this piece, the art nouveau background was inspired by the spiral-shaped metal face jewelry on the model. I work on aluminum composite panels from Artefex, unprimed, and then I prime them with gray gesso. Working on a cool midtone is a great way for me to establish values and tones within the skin. I like to do a drawing of the portrait on paper using General Pencils, and then I’ll scan and trace down the drawing on the panel. I put black PanPastel on the back of the paper to create tracing paper and draw down as much detail as I can from my drawing. I tend to always start in the eyes with a painting and ripple out from there. As you can see in the first image, I’ve laid in a quick first layer in the face. As I hit the edge of the face to the background, I start laying that in as well to soften the edges as well as create context within the portrait. The brushes I typically use on the face throughout each layer are a long round brush such as a Trekell protégé long round size 1 or 2, and in larger areas, I love using an eclipse filbert brush such as a Rosemary size 4 or 6.

Stage 2

Stage 2: I then lay in a quick layer on the chest with a filbert or eclipse filbert brush as well as the large shapes within the hair. People are always surprised how quickly I can lay the first layer in, but for me, I feel like once I get the first layer in, I can really start to fine-tune my shapes, values and brushstrokes within the face and hair. 

Stage 3

Stage 3: Now that I have the first layer of the figure in, I am going to get the rest of the background in. Because this background is patterned and has a fair amount of detail, I didn’t quite get the entire thing in before I finished the first layer on the figure. Typically, I like to get the background in earlier to create context within the figure, but in this example, the background was quite delicate and detailed with a stained-glass effect. What ties the background and figure together quite nicely is the shape of the face jewelry so that the figure sits within the space effectively.

Stage 4

Stage 4: When starting the next layers, I like to turn my painting sideways and upside down. What this does for me is help abstract the painting and really focus on accuracy in values and shapes of the face. I work from printed references on luster paper. I cut my reference and put it directly next to what I’m painting (i.e. eyes, nose, mouth) to really focus on those areas and make sure my measurements and colors are accurate. I don’t ever work from a computer or iPad because the light from the screen affects how I see the painting when going back and forth. I also prefer to have my reference directly next to the area I’m painting.

Stage 5

Stage 5: As I finish the painting, I’ll add a little extra texture in the highlights of the jewelry within the piece, which in this case, is the necklace and the gold spiral face jewelry. My hope with the finished painting is to create dimension with all the small brushstrokes that I’ve woven together through each layer to create a skin-like texture and a luminosity within the skin tones.

Stage 6

Stage 6 Finished Artwork: Spiral, oil on aluminum panel, 20 x 20" (50 x 50 cm) 

Shana Levenson is an accomplished representational painter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her artistic journey began with a BA in fashion design from the University of Texas, Austin. After the birth of her children in 2009 and 2010, she pursued and completed an MFA in fine art painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her work primarily focuses on portraiture and the figure, often capturing people who are significant in her life. Levenson aims to tell each person’s story in an authentic and meaningful way, drawing inspiration from her own experiences.

Levenson is known for her hyperrealist style, where she emphasizes delicate and feminine details in her subjects, like body shape, lace and jewelry. Her background in fashion has notably influenced her latest series of paintings featuring lace. Additionally, she incorporates surrealistic elements in her current work, highlighting the strength and beauty of women.—