Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
‘What subject do you prefer?’ A frequent question. Actually I don´t know what to answer. Do I prefer official-portraits? Each portrait is fun to do whether it is a small child or an old lady, a professor or a lawyer. It is true that some faces are more attractive than others. A commissioned portrait never leaves me a choice and it is always exciting to see what model will appear. The same goes for official portraits. Continue reading “Official-portraits”
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 know I’m far from being an opponent of working from photography. I have received my share of criticism for this stance. That is fine by me. I know whereof I speak, take it from me. Many of my colleagues use photography. And lots for 100% of their work. Only: they do not want to talk about it! I know this phenomenon from the inside out, and I remain to tell you the truth.
But without prejudice I encourage everyone to study from observation. One of the special features is the reflection of a quest. All the elements of a face are not always immediately in the right place on the canvas. And I like to see these little changes of detail in the work. It gives the final artwork that unique charm.
When I work from a live model, I should actually take many more pictures in between to show that process well. The accompanying picture shows two shots. One after a session of 20 minutes and the other after an hour. Pay special attention to the small changes around the mouth and the eyes.
Of course it is an added problem when a model cannot sit still for more than five minutes, at least I can´t. ( I am always happy to be the painter and not the sitter) Every model tends to drift or have difficulties to hold one position. That is why I always take some pictures with my cellphone before stopping the session. So afterwards I am able to correct some features when the model had gone.
Canvas and preparations. The word canvas means a fabric used as a painting surface. Sometimes the canvas is made from cotton fibers and other times from linen fibers. Panel is nowadays almost always made of masonite or fiber board.
Whatever you use, the big secret is in the preparation.
Poorly prepared panel or canvas is lethal. Often this trashy quality is the reason, a novice in oil painting gives up after a few attempts. Flimsy linen absorbs immediately every brushstroke. Continue reading “Canvas and preparations”
Beside my palette is an egg timer. I set it to 25 minutes. For that time, I paint. Then I take a 5 minute break and then set the alarm again for another twenty-five minutes.
How did I come up with that idea? Not on my own. A few weeks ago I read an article about the Pomodoro Technique. I looked it up on the Internet and I was amazed at the amount of information. I immersed myself in it and decided to try this. And I can tell you IT WORKS! Continue reading “Portrait painting with an egg timer.”
This is the first of a series of 10 blog-posts, in which I will discuss ten of the most common pitfalls in portrait painting. I will publish every fortnight on each topic. Continue reading “About photography”
There ain´t no cure for drawing, making doodles every lost moment. Thoughtlessly drawing, that is what doodles sketches is about.
If there is no pencil and paper near the phone, I cannot have a long conversation. I know: Drawing is a disease.
“I draw like other people bite their nails” (Pablo Picasso)
Above one of my long-call telephone doodles.