After sketching out her image I now begin the place a neutral wash over areas of her to define the composition more, defining areas of light and shade.
The next step will be to define her eyes more so that the canvas can come to life and bring out her spirit. It is that spirit that will always stay with us through her portrait. Unless I bring life to the image now through her eyes I would usually give up at this stage... and this next stage will take a very fine brush and great detail. Then I will start to define her nose better... and by doing both these things she will inspire me to carry on with the portrait, speaking to me as I paint. The medium I have decided to use will be acrylics. Some people say painting is relaxing - I always find it so draining as it drains my soul... like I was giving something from me so deep to my art that I lose something in return, a part of me. It seems to me like some kind of trade-off - a sacrifice. The portraits I paint take on their own life and the reference photo starts to fade into the background as the subject itself begins to take on its own spirit upon canvas. If art was easy then the artist is not painting from his soul merely his mind!
Cool post! Thanks for sharing your process.
ReplyDeleteNo problem JackDaddy... but I know thi portrait is going to test me to my limits... sitting here at the moment, looking at it - I hate it!... but that is my number two barrier... I always get that way... just have to climb the next hurdle... but that is art - I estimate I will need another 50 hours to complete her porrait... and I know I will be accurate in that timescale... I am so used to doing things quickly in my profession... but art has its own timescale. So dam frustrating... and yet I know it will turn out well... I just need to get there, but I am so impatient... my natural nature, and thaks again.
ReplyDeleteRobert