Painting Portrait Tips / Lots of information about how to paint a portrait
Much can be said about white in oil painting. By far it is the paint that is most sold. I am also a bulk consumer.Together with Yellow Ocher, it is the paint that I use the most.
Since I have been browsing every now and then the beautiful book The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, I come across the most beautiful passages that I must remember. I keep my ear to the ground reading these pages. Continue reading “About white in oil painting”
Develop your drawing skills.
In order to learn portrait painting properly, it is essential to develop your drawing skills. Actually that applies to all forms of realistic art. I had the good fortune to have had an excellent drawing training at a young age. However, I know that many of you do not.
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.”
Here I show you, step by step, how I painted this portrait, with a different approach as usual. I chose to start without a detailed drawing. Continue reading “Portrait painting, a different approach”
This week I received a question on artificial light for a painter´s studio.
The answer is to be found in the menu Tips & tricks. However I repeat that topic here.
My Studio in Chelva does not have sufficient daylight. So I decided to use a fluorescent lighting. I mounted four standard light boxes with eight fluorescent tubes of 150 cm. Continue reading “Artificial light for a painter´s studio”
It’s not always that bad staying away from home for a while. No homesickness, but nevertheless…
On return I appreciate my everyday environment even more. I see it all with a renewed look.
Early in the morning, before the day begins, I help my wife in the kitchen garden. And it will be clear, when you see this picture, how privileged we are living in this beautiful environment. You can imagine how happy I am, being back home again.
Pretty soon I will take in hand my brushes to start afresh.
Usually I start by clearing my studio space. Clean everything really well. Checked all paint and canvases. I see this activity as starting the engine. I enjoy fiddling in my studio before the real work begins.
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”
You may have noticed I have no affinity with photorealism.
It is not about whether it just seems real, the point is that it is true and authentic.
Painting a portrait from life? Do you work a lot from photography? There is nothing wrong with that, I have said so often. It gives you the opportunity to calmly create a portrait with good likeness and time to mix the colours at ease. It is also often a fantastic picture that invites you to make a beautiful painting.
But there are also pitfalls, namely that you create a too detailed reproduction of the photo. That is a missed opportunity. A painting must be your interpretation and not a copied image. Continue reading “Painting a portrait from life”
“If you are self-employed, do you need a lot of self-discipline?” someone asked me a long time ago. “Of course!” was my answer, “because you need to know when to stop.” Unless you pay attention, you find yourself day and night behind the easel. I have had to think of that now I am seized with “watercolour fever”.
Two weeks ago I wrote you about a commission in watercolour. I finished the job but I could not shake myself free of watercolours as they captivated me. I attacked (after Van Gogh) a number of portraits in this beautiful technique. The working method in watercolour is opposed to that of oil. In oil you immediately start with the darkest parts, then the half tones and finally the lights. On the contrary, in watercolour you start with the light areas, (saving the high lights). Then the halftones and finally the darkest parts.
Already people have asked me for a tutorial and I have put it on the agenda for next year. Next post will be on the preparations for a watercolour portrait.
The colours on my palette:
I prefer to work on Arches France, Bockingford or Fabriano paper.