I'm My Own Worst Enemy

I was working on my latest painting-- we'll call it Secret Serenade. And, well, I got to studying it...

The story of it is supposed to be that the girl in the window has been really sick. So, the guy came over with his guitar to serenade her until she got well. Even if she's too sick to see him, he'll sit there strumming just to show her that he's there for her.

Sounds good, right?

Yeah, well, it looks more like the girl in the window is a creepy ghost that wants to eat him. Ugh. This must be fixed. I'm not ready to give up on this, but it's going to have to wait. I'm too discouraged to work on it right now.

Soooo... I started this painting:

I'm obviously a fan of romantic paintings. lol And I decided that I need to be painting more guys. But I like paintings that tell stories, too. The story behind this one: The girl is relishing being held by her love, while the guy is staring forward with a fiercely protective expression.

Right now the painting is pretty much in black and white. I did that so I could see how my lighting was going. If it's in B&W, you can better tell how your painting is lit. I did start putting the pink on the girl. I want her too look innocent and sweet. I want the guy to be a darker force-- maybe a troubled guy who met the right girl and is trying to turn his life around. As I type this out, I realize how corny it is. But I love it anyway!!!