Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Portrait and Figure Studio, November 10



Our model said her ancestry included Cherokee and Blackfoot native American tribes.

I was having one of those run here, run there days.  The stress and lack of concentration showed in the sketch I brought home that day.  Yesterday, I considered skipping an art blog this week, but then in the afternoon, still stressed and thinking about other things, I played around with a sketch, working from the photo I took.  I dumped it.  I did decide that I was trying to make her look down and up in the same pose.  That just doesn't work.
Below are two examples, using eggs that show how differently the features line up depending on whether the model is looking up or down.  They are photos from Jan Kunz 's book, Painting Watercolor Portraits That Glow.  This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in portrait painting.  These photos are only a tiny part of all the information she gives portrait artists.




I also looked through Drawing the Human Head by Burne Hogarth and found this helpful diagram.




Using this information, I painted the following 7X10 inch value study using burnt sienna.  I still was not happy with some of the proportions but it was better.



This morning I looked at my original sketch again and then spent an hour playing around with it.  This time I was able to concentrate.

Here is the final result.  I still am not pleased with it but I have figured out a few things.  I think that on Friday when I paint with Marsha and Donna, I will have a pencil sketch ready and will try another painting.

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