World War II Portrait: Pete's Shiny Black Shoes

At last, I've made it to the shoes! I've been wanting to paint Pete's shiny black shoes since I started this piece and it was just as fun as I imagined it would be. Whenever I see a man or woman in uniform I am impressed when he/she has meticulously polished shoes. A crisp, clean uniform is always impressive but the shoes complete and emphasize "the look". And then there was the challenge of the gun. Not being familiar with guns, I'll admit I was a little leery of  painting it just because I was completely dependent on the photo for a reference. Many times I wished I had that gun right in front of me. At this point, my husband stepped in and became my guide, explaining the mechanisms and the coloring since at times I could not tell which parts were wood and which were metal (working from a black and white photo). Finally at 11:00 last night I had to tell myself to put down the brush and walk away...that I could go back and make adjustments, if necessary, when I go over the rest of the painting.