Step-by-step: ‘Self Portrait in Conversation’
May 1st, 2011 7 CommentsAre you reading this via email? Click through to my website for better image quality. GO ›
This little painting was my contribution to this year’s Portrait Society of America “6×9 Limited Size – Unlimited Talent” fundraiser. I have no idea what became of it at the event, but here’s how it was created:
The Concept
About the only time I get a good look at myself in a mirror is while brushing my teeth, and for awhile now I have thought that the particular shade of blue on my bathroom walls would make a nice background for a portrait. It even inspired my previous self portrait, which I thought was a very successful painting … except that the blue sheet that I used as a backdrop couldn’t quite replicate the color of those walls. So when I was asked to contribute to the Society’s fundraiser, it was a good excuse to try again. As for clothing, I spent most of this winter enveloped in knitted items, so the scarf & sweater were a natural choice.
I had actually wanted the painting to be entitled “Self Portrait Looking Up”, until I realized that this would have necessitated the use of like 4 mirrors instead of 2. The supplied 6″ x 9″ panel would also leave quite a bit of space below my head, so I decided to include my hand in the composition. The end result was this less-spiritually-significant-but-hopefully-still-visually-fascinating painting, “Self Portrait in Conversation” – painted mostly wet-into-wet over the course of two days (maybe 14 hours total).
My Setup
As you can see, painting a self portrait in profile requires at least two mirrors and a sink. I prefer to paint at a distance of 6 to 10 feet from my canvas, so this was tight quarters … but with a panel this small, it worked out fine. Whenever possible, I try to set up my paintings so that my subject and my canvas are illuminated by the same light source. I also toned my panel a couple of weeks in advance with a light transparent gray (raw umber + ultramarine blue).
Bonus points if you can name the CD that’s propping up my canvas :)
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Step 1
Step-by-step: White Rose
February 22nd, 2011 9 Comments
For the most part, I have two gears as a painter – one for paintings that I build up wet-over-dry, letting each layer dry for days or weeks between coats … and one for smaller paintings that can be completed in one or two sittings while the paint is still wet. This little picture is a good example of the latter – 12″ x 8″ and completed over the course of a long day.
Preparations
I begin every picture that I paint from life by looking through an adjustable viewfinder. This one is made by Viewcatcher, and I like everything about it except how small it is. This company also offers a Viewcatcher App for iPhone, which I haven’t tried. With the viewfinder taped in place at the same dimensions as my canvas or board, I can easily find a composition that is actually capable of fitting within these dimensions. In this demo I looked through the viewfinder quite often through Steps 1-3, after which I put it aside entirely.
Also, unless I intend to begin with a sepia underpainting, I always paint overtop of a lightly toned canvas. I use either straight Raw Umber, scrubbed on very thinly, or Raw Umber mixed with Ultramarine Blue if I want a grayer tone. I have seen many artists begin their paintings with a quick turpentine wash which they work right overtop of while wet, but I prefer to let my ground dry for at least a week before painting over it (when time allows). You can see my ground still showing through in the photo below.
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Step 1
I rarely do any serious drawing with paint, as you can see above. When I do feel the need to have a line drawing in place, I will do it in pencil or charcoal on a separate sheet of paper and trace it onto my canvas … but for a little painting like this, a preliminary drawing isn’t necessary. I begin very slowly – it took me about a half hour to block in these shapes, and I can spend much longer if the composition is complicated or I am having a bad day! The idea is to be as accurate as possible before even thinking about rendering anything, so that I don’t end up having to move the rose blossom half an inch one way or the other after I’ve spent the whole day modeling details.
March 12 · Haverford, PA
Philadelphia Sepia Portrait Workshop
7 Comments
On March 12, 2011 I am returning to my old stomping grounds to conduct a sepia portrait workshop at the Main Line Art Center in Haverford, PA.
Participants will learn to create “sepia” oil portraits using just Raw Umber paint. Sepia paintings can serve as finished works of art or be used as underpaintings – when painting from life, I start almost all of my color portraits this way.
If you have never painted in oils before, this is the perfect way to start … and if you are a seasoned professional or hobbyist, you’ll learn techniques and principles that can help take your paintings to the next level.
During this workshop I will be painting all day, explaining every step from start to finish as I work. Attendees are welcome to paint along and receive guidance & critiques, or just watch as I demonstrate. Adults and teens of all levels of experience are welcome. Please see the supplies list below if you would like to paint.
Recent Work
December 5th, 2010 1 Comment
I recently returned to painting for the first time in quite awhile, having spent the Summer and most of the Fall hard at work on my mother’s house (which is also sorely in need of a blog update). It felt great to be back at the easel, and I especially enjoyed getting my money’s worth out of a couple of friendly roses I found at Wegman’s!
Each of these little pictures was painted in a single day from life, which generally included several hours of tinkering back in the studio after the light had faded. I also finally remembered to take some photos along the way, so I’ll be posting a step-by-step demonstration of the White Rose whenever time allows….
In the meantime, these paintings can all be seen and/or purchased at Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts in Binghamton, NY:
