Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
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!
In the interview two weeks ago I talked about the juggler who reaches his goal by really wanting to. Yesterday, on Dutch TV, I saw this amazing artist. Excellence on top of perfection. I can´t stop watching this. Probably the most impressive coordination the world has ever seen. Chris Bliss juggling masterpiece on Golden Slumber by The Beatles.
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.
This time only some spoken words from a short interview by Erica Robb.
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.
A quick approach wet-in-wet.
Since the beginning of this year, we meet every Tuesday afternoon in my studio to work with live models. We, that is to say, a few fellow artists and me. We start at 17:00 and usually work for two hours. In between sittings we have a short tea break. Our models are people from the neighborhood. The goal is not to create beautiful portraits but to be engaged as an athlete trains and a pianist does his exercises. See also here. And here.
