Tinkering on the Junkin's Warbler

Click on the image to enlarge and read the comments.

Last weekend with some extra time before the painting needed to be shipped, I was able to tinker with some areas in the piece that had been nagging at me. Here is a bit of description of the changes and additions I made to the final piece, with a side by side view, a larger look at the pre-tinkering view, followed by a larger look at the final tinkered version.

Side by Side (sorry for the major light difference)

Pre-tinkering

Final piece

The biggest and most effective change I think comes from the alteration of the highlights in the belly and flank and where the wing meets the flank. I wanted to see the shadow below the wing, where the primaries lay down over the body, but I think I was a bit overzealous in the first effort. The flank highlight and reworked belly shadow really gives the body of the bird more depth. Previously, there was a flatness to this are that I was really dissatisfied with.
This experience shed some light on another issue with my painting as well. I completed the painting at night, under a good incandescent light on my drawing table but came to realize just how different the highlights and shadows were reading in natural light the next morning. For certain aspects of these paintings, I am realizing how much of an imperative it is to be able to work by daylight. Unfortunately this is a real challenge while trying to complete this work with mostly evening hours to spend.