On Portrait Vignette #7 and Pietro Annigoni

Today's portrait subject is Ryan, younger brother of Taylor.  Both portraits were painted from photos.  A cool aspect of these portraits is that the brothers photographed each other.  They look at you, the viewer, but also at each other.  I hope, in years to come, they look at these portraits and remember that moment.  Unlike the reference photos, these paintings will endure.

Ryan in Suspension, 16 x 12", Oil on linen

Below is the progression, click to enlarge.  If you follow this blog, you've seen enough of these to know how it goes.  If you are new here, see earlier progressions with step-by-step explanations here, here, and here.

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Regarding artistic inspiration...

I'm always interested to know about artist's inspirations.  Referral to favorite artworks is a time-honored method of learning and artistic problem-solving.  Standing on the shoulders of giants.  I always have images clipped on my easel for inspiration.  A year ago, they were often by Zorn, Sargent, Sorolla, or Rembrandt.  At the moment, they tend towards Serov, Repin, Velasquez, and Annigoni.

For "Ryan in Suspension", inspiration came from "Mr. Rydy" by the Florentine artist, Pietro Annigoni.  My work pales by comparison, but that's motivating.  I intend to paint some upcoming portraits in this general direction.

Mr. Rydy, size unknown, oil on canvas, circa 1950.

Annigoni nurtured the traditions of classical realism in Italy during a time when realism was considered passé.  Of course, many appreciated his gifts, and he produced numerous and powerful portraits, as part of his very extensive body of work.

Below is another of his distinct, psychological portraits.  Beautiful draftsmanship. There is a surprising lack of printed material on Annigoni's work.  The painting below is from a large-format Chinese book on his portraits, which I purchased from Gallery Nucleus.  The print quality in this book is good, and it's reasonably priced. To view more of Annigoni's works, visit ArtRenewal.com, MuseumSyndicate.com or Gandy Gallery.  Enjoy.

Portrait of a Woman, oil on canvas, 20x16", 1951

Portrait Painting Vignette #6: Taylor in Blue

Taylor is an earnest young man, my cousin's son...on a quest to find purpose, like many people his age.  The challenge here was to capture that depth and spirit using a photo reference.  Sometimes you have to use photos...when painting a child, a posthumous portrait, a long-distance subject like Taylor.  I feel comfortable doing this because I know Taylor, and I paint often from life.  My life studies inform my decisions here. This portrait was painted on a linen panel in 9 hours.

Taylor in Blue, 16x12", Oil on linen

I like photographing progressions for several reasons.  If a painting takes a bad turn, I can check the progression to see what went wrong.  It also reminds me that ugly beginnings do not predict ultimate success.  A painting doesn't have to look good at every stage. 

Here is the progression for "Taylor in Blue"...

Hour 1:  My usual linear lay-in and an early attempt to mass in the big shapes.  I'm squinting at the photo to see what's important and what I can leave out.

Hour 2: Continuing to refine the big shapes and their positions.  Starting to lay in the features.

Hour 3:  Once I feel the big shapes are 80% accurate, I go for the features.  A decent eye, nose or mouth gives me confidence that I will eventually get a solid likeness.  Features anchor the portrait.  Make sure they are correctly positioned before you dive in...it's a hassle to move them.

Hour 4:  More refinement of the big shapes and features, including the eyeglasses.  I want these to be visible, but unobtrusive.

Hour 5: More refining of the lights and shadows, and blending as needed to model the form. 

Hour 6: The elephant in the room is that big hair and beard.  I block in the background to give me something to work the hair into.  I also continue to refine the dark side of his face and neck, to push the form back into the shadows and reveal the neck anatomy.

Hour 7: Ready to lay in the details of the hair, beard, and glasses.  Regarding the glasses, I only paint what I can see when I squint at the photo.

Hour 8 - 9:  The final pass.  I lighten the background, add details to the hair and clothes, highlights in the eyes, mouth, and facial planes.  I adjust the mouth, beard and facial shapes to improve likeness.  Finally, I model the neck and added some chest hair.  At this point I let the portrait sit a day, studying it.  The likeness is good enough at this point.  Painting done.

(Apologies for poor color quality.  Changes in studio light during the day confuse the camera. The finished portrait photo approximates true color.)

Portrait Painting Vignette #5: Miss Julianna

The 5th installment in a 10-piece series.  Today's subject is my young niece, Julianna.  I wanted to try a child's portrait this time.  I've heard they are more challenging than adults.  Facial planes are less visible in a child, and their coloring is so delicate.  This was painted, from a photo, on a gessoed panel in 7 hours.

 

Miss Julianna, 14x11", Oil on panel

Here's the painting progression...

Hour 1:  I prepared the gessoed board several weeks before painting, to ensure it was dry.  I did my usual linear block-in with thinned transparent maroon.  I try to pull plenty of straight lines to give the lay-in good solid structure. If I need to erase, I use a Q-tip soaked in gamsol. 

Hour 2: As usual, I pass through the ugly stage.  (This painting is crap...it isn't going anywhere...try again tomorrow.)  Push through the doubt...the clouds part...the sun comes out.  

Color temperature was important here.  I exaggerated the coolness on the light side and the warmth in the shadows, compared to the colors in my reference photo.

Hour 3: After a first pass on the fleshtones, Julianna's face began to emerge.  At this point, I realized I made a serious mistake by not laying down the darkest dark at the start, to judge other values.  As I laid in the dark hair value, I could see the shadows on the face were too light.  Frustration. I had to make a second pass to darken everything.  Won't make this mistake again.

Hour 4: Time to bring up the facial features.  At this point, I worked up the mouth, nose, and the facial shape.  Refined the halftones of the face to improve the likeness. 

Hour 5:  The refinement stage.  I finalized the eyes and the neck, and added more halftones to get the face to feel more dimensional.  Added highlights on the nose and around the dominant eye.

 Hour 6-7:  The finishing stage.  My second major error was leaving the background until last.  Next time...bring the background and subject up together.  I added a warm green background to balance the cool blue-green in Julianna's clothes.  

Finished the hair by modeling the light and dark sides, and adding a few brushstrokes of red, violet, and yellow.  I also added that critical shadow, cast by the hair onto the right side of Julianna's head, from headband to chin.  The object on her head is a ribbon pom-pom.  I want it to add interest, without drawing too much attention.

 

I prefer a painterly look.  I avoid blending to preserve brushstrokes as much as possible.  The brushstrokes on the face are only visible at close range, unlike the sketchy background.  I like that contrast, it makes the face appear even smoother in the finished piece.

 

Portrait Commission: First Mate

"First Mate" is a portrait commission of sorts...a painting of my brother and his son.  Sailing is a part of life in my family.  My father loved the ocean, and he passed that love on to my brother, who in turn is passing it on to his own son, his "first mate".

First Mate  20x24" oil on linen

The theme of this portrait is the bond between Ross and RJ, mirrored in their shared love of the ocean, and the family continuity it represents.  The model boat in RJ's hands was given to Ross by my father, when Ross was just about RJ's age.  Ross is also a painter, and the piece on the wall behind him is called "Setting the Mark"...a loose navigation term used in sailboat racing. Ross races sailboats.  I hope these connections make the painting more meaningful to them as time passes.  That's the deepest beauty of a portrait...it improves with age.

Technically, I started with a photo shoot, and an oil sketch from life to capture accurate values and skin tones.  Back in the studio, I combined several reference photos from the shoot, then did a graphite tonal study, pushing lights and darks to simplify down to 5 values.

Value study in graphite

The final preparation step was the color study in oil to decide on the palette, color mixtures, values, the background, and to make sure the painting would read.  Once I was satisfied, I transferred the image to a 20 x 24" stretched linen canvas as described here.

The color study, 8x10", oil on board

Ross and RJ were happy at the unveiling...that's the most important thing.  But, after setting the painting against the wall for a few months, I see things that need improving.  Artists should be their own best critic.  Improvements: The edges need more variety; the background is too noticeable, the window in the upper right needs re-working...too rendered; the temperature shift from cool in the light to warm in the shadows is not convincing.  Things I like: The texture of Ross' shirt, RJ's hands; the temperature shift between RJ's shirt and the toy boat.  I'll do better next time.  Each piece is a stepping stone...

First Mate  20x24" oil on linen

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As this year closes, thanks to all who visit here.  2011 was a year of turmoil...it's a difficult time on Planet Earth.  But smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.  Best wishes for the year ahead.   C

Portrait Vignette #4: Morgan in Profile

Another in my short series of oil portrait vignettes.  I committed to ten of these quick portraits (<6 hours), as a training exercise to speed up my execution and keep my brushwork loose and painterly.  Today's portrait was painted from a photo in 5 hours.

Morgan in Profile, 12 x 12", Oil on hardboard

This is my first time using gessoed hardboard, I usually paint on linen.  I'm planning a large, low-key painting, and need a surface that will minimize glare.  I've heard hardboard does that.  I found it very different from linen.  I needed my sables earlier in the process.  But the paint went on more smoothly, like frosting on a cake, buttery.  And it affected my brushwork...more flowing.  I liked it.

Hardboard preparation:  Very easy.  I shellaced both sides of pre-cut 1/4" MDF hardboard, as a moisture/chemical barrier, then gessoed one side twice with Liquitex gesso, sanding after the second coat was dry.  I toned with a mixture of Gamblin Fastmatte ultramarine blue and transparent earth red.   That's it.


Here is the painting progression for "Morgan in Profile".

First 30 minutes: My usual linear block-in with diluted transparent maroon. I was attracted to this image by the long diagonal going from Morgan's forehead down her back.  I liked the dynamic feel of that line, especially when set in a square format...nice contrast.

Hour 2:  The difficult stage for me.  Laying in the big shapes with average hues and values.  Let's face it...it looks pretty bad.  (Here comes my moment of doubt...this painting is a scraper...hardboard isn't for me...darn, I bought a whole bunch of it, too.  Oh well.)  But I persist, the doubt passes.  The hair mass is roughed in with a warm mixture of ultramarine blue, transparent red oxide, and transparent maroon.

 Hour 3: I continue refining the planes of the face.  I do a first pass of the features after the big shapes are working.  Also, start working up the background, trying to find a pattern that complements the subject, and provides opportunities for interesting edges.

Hour 4: Time for the hair and body.  I went over the warm hair mass with cold, dark blue-black, allowing some warm to show through.  I created the highlights with mid-tone purple, and light cobalt blue tint.  I like the mix of warms and cools.  Also refined the upper torso anatomy, clarifying the clavicles and the near shoulder and upper arm.  Finally, I added more highlights to the face and some reflected light under the chin.

Hour 5:  I'm refining edges and adding dark accents and highlights.  Also adjusting values to create lost edges (for example, the caste shadow on the left shoulder and the back of the hair).  More background workup, including the addition of some blue-green to add interest.  Just going around the painting to find small improvements....Oh-oh, sounds like over-working.  Put brush down.  I know there are issues here, but I will resist the urge to continue.  This painting is done.

Portrait Vignette #3: Amanda in Red and Green

Third in the series...a portrait of my sweet daughter, Amanda.   You've met her before (here, here and here).  Because it's a simple profile, this portrait was easy to paint.  One eye, half a mouth, no major perspective issues.  It was painted from a photo in about 4.5 hours.

Amanda in Red and Green 14 x 11", oil on linen

If you're interested, here is an hourly progression...

Hour 1:   I pre-toned the canvas with a mixture of viridian and transparent oxide red, using a big brush for variety.  After drying overnight, I blocked in the head with thinned transparent maroon, adding value indications for the shadows.

Hour 2: I painted the big shapes on the face, using averaged values/hues. Also added some transparent maroon background.  This will give me something to work into when painting the hair.  The likeness isn't quite there, so I will adjust the shapes and positions of the features as I go.

Hour 3: In my opinion, this stage is most challenging.  It's always where, just for a brief moment, I wonder if this painting will be a scraper.  Must press on, through this moment of doubt.  It's about adjusting shapes and modelling the small forms, then doing it all over again ad nauseum.

Hour 4: Finally...on to the fun part of fine-tuning the features and shapes.  The likeness emerges at this point.  I adjust the shapes of the hairline, forehead, eyebrow, mouth and chin.  Added lights to the hair, and adjusted the strap to indicate shoulder anatomy better.  I've heard an accurate hairline is essential to a good likeness...I think that's true.

Hour 5: At this point I refined halftones to convey subtle forms...for example the slight bulge below her mouth and the under-plane of her nose are essential for likeness.  I painted some flesh tone into the hair surrounding the profile, to add halation, giving the flesh a slight glow.  Also added the highlights and a few dark accents.  Realized about half way through hour 5 that I was starting to ruin the painting.  Put down the brush...step away from the easel...painting done...artist happy. 

Portrait Vignette #2: King of the Road

This is the 2nd in a series of portrait vignettes I'm painting to improve my studio technique.  I'm painting under time constraints, giving myself less time than I think I need to complete each piece. It creates some urgency, and keeps the brushwork loose, which I like.  Plus, I'm a slow painter, and need to accelerate anyway.

Today's model is Van, a favorite at the Watts Atelier.  Like all good models, he brings the best out in the artist.  You've seen him here and here.  He hasn't been around for a while...but I hope he'll show up this winter.  He's a bit of a transient, so I call this portrait "King of the Road". It took 5 hours to complete (vs. 6 hrs for the first piece in the series). 

King of the Road, 14 x 12", Oil on linen board

Here is the hourly progression...

HOUR 1:  I blocked in the drawing with gamsol-diluted transparent maroon (W&N) on an un-toned linen board.  I went into some detail on the drawing because I wanted to study the values a bit.  In order to leave some air on the lower third of the canvas, I was careful not to define the drawing too much below the chin.

HOUR 2: Every painting has an ugly phase, I've learned that from portraiture.  When it's ugly, you just have to push through.  Don't give up.  At this stage, I laid down the large shapes I saw while squinting, using averaged values as described in an earlier post.

HOUR 3:  I worked up the eyes and smaller shapes on the light side. I found it challenging to get accurate values on white canvas, so will probably go back to a toned ground for now.  It can be slow going during this phase.  Be patient and carefully model the smaller forms.
 

HOUR 4: This is the fun part.  I'm still refining the light shapes and adding details to the dark side of the head and neck.  Next, I go to work on the hair and hat, which add most of the interest to this portrait. They are the cool shapes that balance the warmth of the background and fleshtones, and they add interesting textures.

HOUR 5: Finally, I darkened the background to add variety and allow for some lost edges around the hair and hat. I'm also refining all my other edges at this point.  Once the background is in, I can finish the hair.  I also finish modelling the crown and edges of the hat, then add reflected light under the brim to make it pop.  I add reflected light under the chin, paint in a suggestion of a collar, then put down the brush.  It is done.   

How to Paint a Portrait in 6 Hours

I'm doing a series of portrait sketches to practice the never-ending skills required to master the art of oil painting. I'm giving myself 6 hours to complete each painting...once the timer goes off I put down the brushes and walk away.  It's good training.  Creates a sense of urgency.  I need time limits so I don't overwork the painting, which is my tendency.

The first oil sketch in this series is a portrait of my lovely mother.  It practically painted itself, which confirms that familiarity helps when trying to capture a good likeness.   This was painted from a photo onto 16 x 12" linen board.


Here is the hourly progression........

HOUR 1:  I took my time getting the drawing right.  It's much easier to make changes at this early stage.  I blocked in the head with a small bristle filbert and thinned transparent maroon (Winsor Newton), on a linen board pre-toned with a mix of ultramarine blue and transparent red oxide.

HOUR 2: At this point I was just trying to cover the canvas, get something down that I could paint into later.  My fleshtones were mixtures of transparent maroon, yellow ochre light, viridian, and cobalt blue.

HOUR 3:  I focused on modeling the smaller planes and features of the face.  Once I had the fleshtones working, I completed the features to begin the finishing phase, and to reveal the character of my subject.

HOURS 4 and 5:  Next came the hair, clothes, earrings and glasses.  I like the vignette portrait, which was favored by Philip de Laszlo in the early 20th century, and is used by many artists today (eg. Schmid).  It has a fresh, spontaneous feel and leaves something to the viewer's imagination.

HOUR 6:  I added the pearl necklace and laid in some background, which is hard to see in the photo.  I darkened the values on the shadow side of the face to define the front and side planes more clearly.  Finally, I added a few highlights on the light side.  Finished in 6 hours.

I showed my mother the final painting and she liked it.  I learned a lot, too.  Success.

Master Studies 1: Teachings of Richard Schmid

In the next few months, I'll be painting master studies as a supplement to classes at Watts.  I've done a few in the past (after  Zorn , Zorn and Rembrandt), so I know their extreme value as learning tools.  It's a tried-and-true approach...inexpensive, efficient, broad in scope, and the master teacher is always available.  Master studies reveal all the subtleties in a painting, details that just do not register on a quick glance.  They show you how the master applies "the rules".  My goal with these studies is to improve my brushwork...to push the paint around with more finesse.  I also want to focus on hair and backgrounds...2 of my weaker areas.

My Friend Bill, after Richard Schmid, 9 x 12"

Today's teacher is Richard Schmid.  If you don't know his work, check out this encyclopedic blog post at Lines and Colors.  I love the random energy and freshness of Schmid's brushwork.  He pushes and pulls the backgrounds and foregrounds into each other, back and forth into a seamless integration.  And he's a master of drybrushing, which he defines as "a brushing technique in which a clean dry bristle brush is used to pick up a small amount of undiluted pigment and is then dragged across the painting surface.  In this way, the paint is deposited on the tooth or texture of the surface."  The textural drybrush stroke is evident everywhere in Schmid's work. An important technique to master...also used often by Zorn.

Captain Don, after Richard Schmid, 14 x 11"

A few key things I learned from these studies: 

• Add a few really crisp, hard edges to balance the softness in the subject. 
• Lose edges when possible to integrate the subject into the background and add interest.
• Contrast those lost edges with a few thick, juicy strokes near the focal point to pop the image. When I look at any painting, I like to cover those "zingers" to understand their role in the overall balance of the painting.  Amazing the impact of a simple, well-placed stroke.
• Finally, try pushing a loaded paintbrush against the direction of the hairs for some nice textures without a chunky block of paint at the start of the stroke.  I've seen Schmid do this in his landscape paintings.  Nice effect.
• I like the look of an opaque light stroke over a transparent darker one.  Visible on the hair in all studies posted here.

Sapphire, after Richard Schmid, 11 x 14"

The images for these studies came from Schmid's book Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting.  After a quick linear block-in by hand with thinned paint, I painted these on linen board in about 4 hours.

Loveland Gentleman, after Richard Schmid, 9 x 12"

You can watch Schmid paint an alla prima portrait in the video The Captain's Portrait: An Afternoon of Painting with Richard Schmid.  The video is VHS format, I just purchase it but haven't had a chance to view it yet.

Also, Dan Gerhartz's recent blog post on the value of master studies is worth a view.  Dan is presenting on this topic at Weekend with the Masters here in California in a few weeks, so I'm sure it's on his mind at the moment.