Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
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.
Continue reading “Portrait painting from life, underpainting”
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”
I admit it: I had a prejudice against art historians. I would prefer to look for myself rather than listen to someone else talking about it. My stupid shortsightedness! Last Friday I attended the conference “American Impressionism”, organized by and at the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. I enjoyed tremendously the lectures and the expertise of the lecturers! The starting point of the conference was the influence of the French impressionism on the American art of the late 19th century. Continue reading “American impressionism in Madrid (2)”
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.
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.