Portrait of Jackson, underpainting, day 1

Here is the beginning of the underpainting. The underpainting is done using just oil paint and solvent, no medium, so it ends up looking a little washy, like a water color. Once I am done with the underpainting, I will go back and repaint the entire painting with oil paint and medium. The underpainting is like a dress rehearsal for the actual painting. It gives me a chance to practice the underlying roundness of the forms.