It's 5 O'clock Somewhere

I'm getting ready to do a very large sign for a local bar.  The overall dimensions are almost 40' x 12'.
I thought a little "study" of one of the elements (cowboy) would be a good idea. Why not paint a pub table? 
A "study" like this can really help identify parts that are particularly challenging and help work out the bugs for colors and makes scaling up that much easier.

I began by projecting the design onto the table top (this poor table has been on my bench for at least 2 months as I've been so busy with other projects).  One of the things I wanted to try was doing an under painting based on some portrait painting material I've been reading.  At first it really felt like the under painting was too dark, but as I progressed, it was fine.  With the right amount of retarder and glaze technique, it began to have some of the translucent quality I like in oil paintings.  Anyway- It was great experience for the big one and lots of fun to paint.