A preliminary drawing of Marilyn done with Prismacolor pencils on canvas. This is the first step that allows me to adjust the portrait to the look I'm seeking. Again, I start with the eyes and make sure that every spec of light and shadows are placed correctly, by doing so, I can capture the features as close as the original and I'm able to get a more faithful likeness. Since this is going to be a mixed medium painting, I'm using color pencils to sketch the features to match the palette I want. Never sketch a color piece with graphite pencils, is hard to get rid of the outlines. Marilyn's eye color changed depending on the setting and lighting. In the early studio portraits they look clear blue, but in the soft light of Stern's sitting they come off as hazel. In reality they were blue-green, so I'm going to use light blue, medium green and cool gray to shade them. Her lips have a deeper red on the top half with coral and orange tones on the lower half. The rose is very deep red in the center with scarlet and orange hues on the outer petals. The pear-shaped diamond earring was my way of balancing the face with a touch of sparks. I haven't decided yet what to do with the lower half of the portrait, maybe I will show some shoulder with a touch of white fur.