Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
A good portrait must fulfill the two basic requirements: perfect likeness and good artistic characteristics. It seems that sometimes the two are at odds. I know I was more prudent in my approach with commissioned portraits than non-commissioned artwork. The more I progressed during the years the more I was able to grasp at these things. But still sometimes it is difficult. Continue reading “Portrait painting and likeness?”
When I worked this week on a quick sketch of this portrait, again it came to mind how often I see students paint almost without any paint on the canvas. Far too thin and almost transparent. Continue reading “Portrait painters: use more paint!”
As you know by now, painting commissioned portraits is an essential part of my daily artistic activity and has been for more than twenty-five years. I like to talk about it over and over again and hope that you can benefit from this.
Let me repeat this week what I consider to be the most important properties for a portrait painter.
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.
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:
More posts on painting from life model:
Portrait painting from photography has pros and cons. One of the major drawbacks is the inclination to copy all the details. Detailed or blurry?Apparently every wrinkle, eyelash and hair lock must be displayed faithfully. But a good portrait is not a sum of all observable details. I have said it last week: It’s not about whether it just seems real, the point is that it is true and authentic.
In his book Alla Prima ll Richard Schmid says:” In my view, detail for its own sake is a shallow goal, because I don´t think art is about how much stuff I can depict” Continue reading “Detailed or blurry”
You may have noticed I have no affinity with photorealism.
It is not about whether it just seems real, the point is that it is true and authentic.
Every so often I get the question of what colours skin tone is composed. I can not possibly answer that question because every complexion has its own composition.
In the two in-depth video tutorials I show exactly which colour and in what quantity in the different parts of the face, I used to paint the portrait.
Fellow artists meet with me in my studio every week. Several hours we draw or paint portrait from a live model. Continue reading “Our midweek portrait drawing session”
Rarely an artist wants to talk about it and certainly not show it : A failed job. You would rather share a glorious victory, than admit your loss. Even though you’re a successful painter, every so often it happens that you might get stuck. With non-commissioned work it does not necessarily have to lead to a problem, but when it comes to a commission it surely does. The client expects a top performance from you. I assume that you yourself are many times more critical than the client. (If not, you need to seriously doubt your artistic attitude).
I speak from experience: failing is more common than you might think. I wrote recently about this and I come back to it because it is an important fact. Why? I am convinced that you learn more from your failures than from your successes. What do you do in such a case?
Don´t keep muddling on and painting like a headless chicken, hoping that the problem will correct itself with a fluke. Lay down your brushes and stop.
Don´t panic; analyze the failure.
My statement for this week: You always feel as good or bad as your last painting.
Changing my habit: portrait drawing in charcoal.
As I mentioned earlier we get together every week to work from life. We ask people in the neighborhood to model. There will come a day when we shall have “done” half the village. This time I decided to work in charcoal and not in oils. I haven´t done this for ages and once again I’m surprised how much I enjoy this. (1,5 hour session)
I used Winsor & Newton Artist’s charcoal, thin and medium, Fabriano drawing paper 120g / m2 – 24 x 32 cm, Faber-Castell Art Eraser (kneaded rubber eraser) and some brushes for blending.