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”
By means of this image I want to explain something that I do often.
In this portrait the light source comes from the top left. Consequently the shadow on the face is on the right side, on the chin. Sometimes it works well to have a high contrast in the values between the cast shadow and the background. That means I make this part of the background a lot lighter than the rest of the area.
When teaching I explain it this way: It’s possible to give a portrait some fresh air.
“If you are self-employed, do you need a lot of self-discipline?” someone asked me a long time ago. “Of course!” was my answer, “because you need to know when to stop.” Unless you pay attention, you find yourself day and night behind the easel. I have had to think of that now I am seized with “watercolour fever”.
Portrait in watercolour
Two weeks ago I wrote you about a commission in watercolour. I finished the job but I could not shake myself free of watercolours as they captivated me. I attacked (after Van Gogh) a number of portraits in this beautiful technique. The working method in watercolour is opposed to that of oil. In oil you immediately start with the darkest parts, then the half tones and finally the lights. On the contrary, in watercolour you start with the light areas, (saving the high lights). Then the halftones and finally the darkest parts.
Already people have asked me for a tutorial and I have put it on the agenda for next year. Next post will be on the preparations for a watercolour portrait.
It’s been a long time since I made a commissioned portrait in watercolour. The technique is so different from oils that I need to change my mind substantially. I love this technique but I do it too little. So, today one of my good intentions: at least one portrait per month in watercolour. When the client gives me permission I will show you the end result.
I used watercolour: Rembrandt / Talens. Paper: Arches / France
These days I am reading the book “Man with a Blue Scarf” by Martin Gayford. It is on sitting for a portrait by Lucian Freud. Good books can take possession of your mind for days. It’s like when you spend some time in a boat and you are accustomed to the constant wobbling. Once on shore you find yourself still waddling. You must readjust. Yesterday and today I have been painting the portrait of the man in the picture above and the spirit of Lucian Freud is present at the sessions. His quotes are constantly itching in my mind.
Such as: “The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real”.
Or: ” I paint people not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be.
And “I would wish my portraits to be of the people, not like them. Not having a look of the sitter, being them”.
Time and again, I have to clear my mind because these lingering thoughts intervene. I must concentrate on my job, the sitter and me.
I like to see half finished paintings, even of my own work. It says something about the work process. Was it the Dutch writer Cees Nooteboom who once said “Traveling is better than arriving”? I just found this image of a half painted portrait. Here you see: I am traveling. It is not finished; not yet at my place of destination. Often I enjoy more of the process itself then the finished product.
Atlas, click to enlarge
Also this picture reminds me of something else. I see the small statue in the background. It represents the Greek mythologic figure of Atlas who held up the celestial sphere. I added this prop at the special request of the sitter, the retiring Professor of Philosophy at Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam. For lack of good reference material I made a sculpture in plastiline myself and painted it with acrylics to imitate the bronze patina. I really like to prepare things blow by blow. Not a lick and a promise.
At this moment I am really busy to do the voice-over for my video demonstration.
Still from the video.
Last week I showed you a picture of myself behind the microphone. The video will have 14 chapters and now I am working on part 9. This is a short fragment of the text that I made for the part when I am cleaning once more a part of my palette:
…but let me clean a bit my palette first before I carry on with the cheekbone. It may seem excessive to clean the palette every now and then. Sometimes I see students jammed in a terrible mess hoping to find their way out. I know that they might be afraid to lose all the mixtures by cleaning. But I think that a pure spot on your palette is much more effective than the possible convenience of recycling a left mixture.
The same error is: using different brushes for different colours. In one of my courses I saw a lady with six different brushes in one hand. I think that is a mistake. That does not help you. I am pretty sure that chaos on your palette and in your hand is the reflection of a chaos in your head. But please do not despair, to be honest I also was the one with that rubbish heap on his palette and with a bouquet of brushes in his hand. Long time ago!
