Traps in portrait painting based on photography

Traps in portrait painting based on photography

I’m often criticized because I explain how to paint a portrait from photography. Working from life is the only true religion, I always hear. I never answer because I know how things are in my profession. I say it again loud and clear: almost all my colleagues use photography when it comes to a commission. Only, they would rather keep silence in public. Anyway, I do not want to talk about that.

What’s one of the hazards of working from photography?

 

Traps in portrait painting based on photography
Portrait O Samuel, from life.

The exposure. The lefthand picture shows a portrait that I painted from life in my studio during our Tuesday sessions. I always take a picture of the model before we stop. That shot you see on the right. A major handicap in photography can be seen at a glance. The light-dark contrast is too big. In particular, the light parts suffer from the loss of the subtle nuances. I notice in my classes that many people overlook that phenomenon. So make sure that the print that you’re working from is not too light and that there is difference between the light and the high-lights.

Finally: of course work from life. Study as much as possible with a live model in front of you. The more training in direct perception the more your work from photography improves.

More posts on working from photography:

Work from photography.

Contact with the model.

More about photography.

 

More posts on painting from life model:

My favorite model.

Demonstration.

Power of perception.

 

Portrait painting from life, underpainting

Portrait painting from life, underpainting

In this short portrait portrait painting from life, underpainting, demonstration video I only use raw umber.

If you have the opportunity to paint from observation you should do so as much as possible.

To begin with, I give the entire canvas a very thin wash of raw umber with standard painting medium.

Then, using a flat synthetic brush I put down the first contours. I determine where the eyes, nose and mouth are.

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