Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
Portrait commissions of children have their special challenges. With each assignment, the model is new to me. Therefore an extensive acquaintance is essential. It is important to get to know each other. This applies to adults, but even more to portraits of children. They might see me as an intruder, a strange guy with a camera. Continue reading “Portrait commissions of children”
Of course, like every child, I was asked sometimes “what do you want to be when you grow up”? Did I ask myself the question: Me as a portrait painter?
But what is a portrait painter? the English Dictionary says: an artist who paints portraits
Drawing as a little child?
Sometimes I visit websites from other portrait artists and read the information they give about themselves. Often like: “I was already drawing as a little child, or I was born with brushes in my hand”. That annoys me and I do not know exactly why. Is it that difficult to write something more original?
Despite of the fact that I often do portrait painting from photography, I really must emphasize again, that portrait painting from observation is important. Study as much as you can from a life model sitting in front of you.
Training your drawing skills is fundamental. Accompanying a study I made last Tuesday night. I used Terra Rosa (Winsor & Newton) mixed with a little bit of Burnt Umber (Rembrandt Talens.)
This post is about brushes for oil painting technique. As you may have noticed, recently I was able to dedicate more attention to landscape painting. It took a long time; I was too busy with my portrait commissions. The surroundings of the town of Chelva, where we live, are beautiful and very picturesque. There are countless places asking to be painted. And that is what I do. Continue reading “Oil painting technique.”
Portrait painting is not easy in the beginning. I know these beginners mistakes very well. There are many pitfalls, which you must overcome in the learning process. But where to start? Continue reading “10 beginners mistakes in portrait painting.”
Sometimes I wonder why I want to paint a good portrait. Where does that fervour come from? What about my portrait painting and inspiration. I’ve never been able to answer that question. And it should stay like that, I guess. That everlasting urge, that gruelling passion; I have learned to live with it. It was not always an easy road. More than once, I was jealous of people without any ambition. Continue reading “Portrait painting and inspiration.”
Last week I wrote about the importance of squinting and of stepping back. I also said that most students know this already, but few really do it. Yet it is essential that you keep distance from your canvas, especially in portrait painting. Continue reading “Portrait painting: keep distance.”
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!”
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”