Below, you might be interested in seeing the initial lay in of the oil paint, quickly stroked or dabbed on then, to the right, the same paint layer simply dragged smoother by using a large bristle filbert that was soft enough to tug at the paint without pulling it off the canvas. In this way I can easliy control the viscosity and therfore the opacity and further setup my next thinner strokes directly into this receptive wet layer. Here, too, I can push the edges or focus where I want, preferring a slightly out of focus effect that I can more easliy sharpen up than if I left it with sharp focus (from flat strokes and a linear approach) which is much harder to force out of focus. I know if I control the focus, even minimally, I control the flow of where the viewers eyes rest and that helps force interest to the more important areas, like the Angel's face.
Rough vs smoother finessing
