![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NFGBvGzvxGL4zt2gfDV2ULT0FzU5a7HZA4Q-nk_n63ZrGKBMubf2AIPWIqyv7hhhYCtPDHBxfaODXknEWkTAAp6HdschS6Pdu6dzcUioA952aKp6rHcuEgKx5fISIEEmeELecqjpQkA/s400/Hex4(S).jpg)
After I'd pretty much exhausted the possibilities of my first group of blocks, I decided to make a new set with a focus on depth and volume and less flashy color and brushwork. I limited the colors to get more cohesion in the portraits, and applied the paint in a "relief" method: colors applied in order of darkness - darkest first, lightest last. This avoids implications of directional light sources, which are always dramatic and evocative, but are hard to keep consistent so can be distracting.
I also wanted to see if I could work without relying on the representational blocks, which were such an important part of the first few portraits but were never really part of the original idea behind the project and again, drew so much attention as to be a bit of a distraction.