Mougny, Burgundy, France. Last friday the first week ended and monday new students will arrive. Atmosphere here is always great and I really enjoy being part of it. Table Tableau hosts Bas and Agnes do their outmost to cherish the students. Large part of the success is due to their commitment and perfect organisation. It’s really a privilege teaching here. Regularly people ask me to start workshops in their country. I am very sorry to disappoint them. Untill now I don’ t have plans to teach apart from my courses here. My commissioned work does not allow me to wander so much. Maybe one day…
Time has come again: I have packed my suitcases and tomorrow I am off to Burgundy to start my workshops portrait painting. But as always, before I can leave, there are still dozens of things to be done at the very last moment. This morning, the soil of the kitchen garden had to be plowed so my wife can plant leeks and some corn. That was not possible earlier this month because of the new plants must be placed at waning moon. And that’s now.
Last minute job: plowing the soil
In this village, where everyone has a vegetable garden, people live by the rhythm of the lunar cycles and not just for seeding and harvesting; reeds for beanstalks also must be cut according to the lunar calendar. All for an optimum and sustainable yield. Whether it really matters I don´t know. Once I wondered if a portrait painted by waning moon would look better than one done at crescent moon. During my workshops I certainly will not talk about these things. Students might suspect things ain’t cooking in my kitchen and think thatthey have landed in the wrong workshop.
Once back from France I will continue with my series about the likeness.
People always think that the lighting in a painters studio should be abundant. However in some cases, the opposite is true. A few times scarce lighting is very welcome. When I want to check an almost finished portrait I switch off the lights in my studio to see the portrait at semidarkness. Then I notice other differences in hues and values than I’d seen in full lighting.
Studio with full illumination.Studio at semidarkness.
Working for long periods of time on a portrait without a break can be tricky. First, unwittingly, you become tired. In the beginning you make key decisions, but after a while your concentration certainly decreases. Secondly, the portrait resembles more and more itself: namely the image that has been built up in your mind. It is therefore important that your perception remains fresh. Take a little break every so often. A great tool here also is the use of a mirror. Hold the mirror in such a position that you see simultaneously your model (or photo) and your canvas. You will be very surprised what you see: the same image but completely different.
Using a mirror. The same image but completely different.
Portrait of a lady. Detail.Portrait of a lady. Seen without my glasses.
Every portrait painter knows this: A portrait is finished, it looks nice but the resemblance is not quite right (or not at all) Conclusion: there is something wrong. But where is the rub? Perhaps it would be the eyes or the mouth, maybe the nose? You are peering & correcting, but an acceptable similarity is not coming into sight. Even worse: all your efforts are jumping out of the frying pan, into the fire. What do you do? Probably despair first. But as you can learn how to get started, you can also learn how to finish a portrait. I will pay attention to this issue here and in future blog posts. There is a number of ways to assess the likeness of a nearly finished portrait.
Here are some tricks you can think of:
1 Take off your glasses.
2 Use a mirror.
3 Check the portrait at twilight.
4 Use transparent paper.
5 Use the computer.
1 Take off your glasses
The portrait is not quite right, however you are absolutely sure all points of reference are in the correct position. Remember that it could also be that the curves are not in the right spot. In particular, the roundness of the cheeks. Up to what point are they exposed to the light, where does the shadow start? I often take off my glasses to see everything a little blurry. I perceive no details, only large shapes. And it works! It’s an amazing trick to find inaccuracies related to curves. “Yes, but I don´t wear glasses” you’ll say. OK. Borrow a pair of your granny´s specs, and put them on! Same effect.
