Every once in a while I finish a painting, step back, and can't believe I did it. This is one. It's funny too because when I was framing it with my viewfinder, I wasn't crazy about the composition. I'm glad I painted it anyway. I'm really happy with it. It seems - sophisticated, though I'm not sure why I feel that way.
Speaking of viewfinders - I highly recommend using them. Mine are just small peices of cardboard with holes cut in them. It's important to get the proportions right, and the holes should be relatively small (my 6x8 is a couple inches wide) so you can get exactly what you want framed in it. It REALLY helps with composing, and really cripples your process if you don't - you end up guessing where things go instead of planning it out. I'm all for planning.
