Over a number of sessions, the details in the head and hands was built up. This involved various techniques- glazing, scumbling and the use of body colour. At times stiff pigment was used, at others the paint was diluted with medium. I favour a stand oil, dammar varnish and turpentine mixture. The background was added during this process as well as details of the chair and clothing.
The background was painted over the edges of the hair . When this was dry, the hair was dragged back over it and a sable rigger used to establish some of the finer wisps.
The finished portrait painting in oils
December 14, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Charcoal sketch to portrait painting in oils
December 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Having decided on the finished preparatory sketch, I now prepared to do the oil painting. I chose to work on a fine linen canvas which I had stretched before applying two coats of size and two coats of oil primer. I then stained the canvas with a transparent wash of raw umber. This gives me a very useful mid tone on which to build my lights and darks.
I drew the figure in with a brush and fluid paint ( lots of turpentine) before moving on to the blocking in stage. All this time, I am checking angles, proportions, rhythms through the figure, and ,of course, position on the canvas. There is nothing worse than painting a fine head only to discover it’s in the wrong place!
The accompanying illustrations show the painting in various stages of development. The head is well under way, the hands are just rapidly sketched in , and there are still large areas of the original staining. In my next blog I will show how the portrait was developed further.
How to create a charcoal portrait 2
November 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment
This drawing is another preliminary sketch for the finished painting. The materials and techniques used are the same as in my previous blog. Here, I have gone for a three-quarter length sketch as her arthritic hands were an interesting feature. Altogether I felt this pose produced a more reflective portrait.
How to create a charcoal portrait
November 24, 2008 By 5 Comments
This is one of a series of charcoal studies done in preparation for a finished oil portrait.
Materials: Smooth cartridge paper, willow charcoal, medium and soft charcoal pencils, compressed charcoal, black conte stick, soft cloth and a putty rubber.
Method: After establishing an initial outline, the area of the head was rubbed over with willow charcoal and smoothed with the cloth. The position of the main features was established before softening and lightening the mid-tones. The details in the eyes and mouth were built up using charcoal pencils. For the darkest tones, I used a combination of either conte crayon or compressed charcoal. The highlights were lifted out with a putty rubber.
Painting in Menorca October 2008
October 11, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Well, this is my very first blog post, so I hope you will be forgiving if it takes me a little while to get to grips with all this hi-tech stuff. The truth is, I didn’t even know what a blog was until very recently. My aim is to help inspire you to enjoy your painting even more, to pass on a few tips, and then, hopefully, you’ll feel the need to join me on one of the wonderful painting holidays in Menorca – and soon in Scotland’s famous Artists’ Town, Kirkcudbright. I have just got back from Menorca and thought I’d get things rolling by posting this very short video of one of my students enjoying her painting in what can only be described as an idyllic setting. If you’d like to know more about any of my painting holidays, there’s lots of information at http://www.inspiration-holidays.com/
