Posted on

Work from observation, the power of perception

Portrait painting from observation

Portrait painting from observation

Portrait painting from observation

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.

Portrait painting from observation
Painting from live model

 

Related post

And this post

Posted on

Canvas and preparations

Canvas and preparations

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.

Canvas and preparations
testing the canvas

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”

Posted on

Portrait painting with an egg timer.

Portrait painting with an egg timer.

Portrait painting with an egg timer.

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.Portrait painting with an egg timer.

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.”

Posted on

Where are the gouache strokes?

guache strokes
where are the two gouache strokes
In the red circles you see the two gouache strokes

The answer to my question of two weeks ago, where in this watercolour portrait I applied two gouache strokes, is this: the bright reflected light under the chin and the blue accent on the collar of the shirt. Among the good answers I raffeld a DVD.

The DVD goes to:

Marija Gaspar from Zagreb. Congratulations Marija!

Thank you all for your participation.

Posted on

Paint what you see

Paul C. Burns says: “An artist is a visual recorder of facts, not a psychologist probing the sitter’s self.”  I largely agree with him. Paint what you see before you. Still, I find it important to know something of the character of the model. It can help whilst posing. Posing is an interaction between the sitter and I. A model feels more at ease when I am patient and sympathetic. My attitude must be inviting. Only then can we create something good. In the end a model should give me something that I can give back in the portrait.

Lady in blue-green
Lady in blue-green

The model in this image I know well and I know her character. She is energetic and vigorous. I suppose that it has become visible. In my enthusiasm however I overlooked a small detail. I now see that the fingers of her right hand are spread too wide. The model’s energy and vigor has therefore become a little too exaggerated.

There is always a detail that you would like to change when you look back on your own work.

Posted on

Portrait commissions and despair

Kitchen garden in the village.
Desperate portrait painter working in the vegetable garden.

Portrait painting is my daily job. But don´t think that everything always runs smoothly for me. It sometimes happens to me that a portrait fails. In the case of a commission it is a big problem. Of course over the years I have developed a routine wherein I, step by step, can detect a possible problem and fix it. Needless to say, that belongs to my profession. But sometimes it happens that I desperately wonder how to proceed when I find my self in deep trouble.

Once I was in such despair that I decided to destroy the portrait on my easel. Eventually I realized that that was ridiculous. After a while I decided to start over again the next day. I went into the garden to work and have some distraction. Then, when I came back in my studio, I saw the abortive work on the easel. As the painting already was screwed up I decided, I could just haphazardly do some muddling.

And what was the result? In fifteen minutes the portrait was back on track and after an hour it was finished! I was satisfied and later certainly the customer was.

What now is the essence of my story? (Evident of course): If you tend to get stuck do not despair but take distance and relax. The solution may be within reach, but you don´t see it because you’re so wired up.

Sheer willpower can sometimes be destructive!

Posted on

About portrait painting part 2

Today part 2 of the interview that Erica Robb made a month ago. Once again I want to explain that I have no qualms in admitting that working from photography has become an integral part of our profession. Many colleagues are secretive about this and I think that’s baloney. But… I also would encourage everyone to work from live model. That is fundamental. It creates the craft, where skills originate. And it is great fun to do!

See also part 1

Posted on

Progress of the self-portrait

self portrait
On the right the finished version

Three weeks ago I showed you the progress of the self-portrait. I said that in the end I was not entirely convinced by the result. Many people left a comment and a few had suggestions for adjustments. I also was asked to show the final result. Here is the outcome as it will be shipped to London next week. I actually have not done much but for me it changed substantially. The rub was in the background. My aim is always to match the subject and background in order to let them take part in one and the same atmosphere, in a believable way. In the first version there was too much blue and that was the reason there was no “palpable air” provided. What did I do in the background? With a broad brush I applied a layer of Raw sienna, extremely diluted with W & N Oil Liquin. In order to distribute it evenly I rubbed it with a cloth. Now temperature has changed and it looks better.

I also “calmed down” some brushstrokes on the left of my face, and I added a few accents in the lights and the darks.