Man's Head Work in Progress

[Newberry]

Hello WCists,

Here is a portrait that I am current working on. It is painted, so far, with the model present. Its acrylic, 12 x 16". For this piece I am using very small brushes, lots of water, and essentially "drawing" with tons of fine transparent lines. The model is posing about 3 x's a week for about 2 hours each session. There is no dead line to finished the piece...so there is no pressure for me...I can take my time working through the piece.

When I was a teenage I copied a few of Da Vinci's charcoal and ink drawings of heads. I am reminded of that with this portrait.

I would like to make it as realistic as possible but without getting a "polished or slick" look. The background is leather and I hope to make that explicit looking by the time I am done.

I will post here significant developments as they happen.

Cheers,

Michael

www.michaelnewberry.com

[bjs0704]

Michael - I am not sure whether or not your image posted as it should. I am only seeing part of the head.

It would be great to see your work.

Barb Solomon :cat:

[Classical Vince]

Hi Michael, interesting technique you are using. Its great to be able to take your time and make all the observations you want huh? Looking forward to seeing the leather texture rise from the canvas ;)

[Alan Cross]

Great so far looking forward to more progress....
Alan :)

[Newberry]

Looking forward to seeing the leather texture rise from the canvas ;)

Hi Vince, My aim with the leather will be to make it recognisible/realistic but I want it to recede as far back as possible...thats the rub, if I bring it too far forward it will destroy the flow of the head's forms. Conceptually I try to think of the nose and collar as intensely in the forground, the ear and shoulders mid-ground, and the leather something like distant mountains in a landscape--far far away!

Michael

[arlene]

how small are your brushes? this technique looks almost like an egg tempera.

[Eugene Veszely]

So you are painting on leather ??

[Newberry]

how small are your brushes? this technique looks almost like an egg tempera.

they are #2 and 3's, don't know what brand. I have never worked with egg tempera but I believe it is very similar. On many of my earlier 7' paintings I worked with lots of washes, with cross-hatching brush strokes, as an underground...I would just keep working this way until I would get finer and finer details. So this painting is kind of like that but I went directly into color, there really isn't an underpainting.

Michael

btw Arlene, you make lovely detailed work.

[belladonna]

Could you talk a bit about the composition? The model is off center in kind of left-handed golden mean, and I wondered at your purpose. Are you left-handed? Do you have a plan for the negative space to the left? I do like this pose… the curve of the neck and the dropped shoulder. The model is beautiful and you are bringing this along nicely. I suspect that you will do wonders with the leather. ;)

[TomHart]

Beautiful work, Michael.

My only remark - aside from great compliments on the way it's going - is to wonder why it's so important to you (at least it seems important) to render the leather so completely. I'm positive that you have the skill to make leather look exactly like leather, but I agree with you that the background shouldn't command too much attention. I'm betting you pull off that balancing act quite well, though. Looking forward to watching...

Tom

[bjs0704]

Michael - very nicely done! I love way you have depicted light. I also like the pose you have chosen for this self portrait.

I am sorry that it took me awhile to respond. The jpegs were only showing the top of your head in both pieces when I viewed it in Safari. It was rather funny.

By the way, it is good to hear of another Da Vinci "fan".

Barb Solomon :cat:

[Newberry]

Thanks for all the kind comments and interesting queries.

Tom was asking why the leather was important to me. If I can I love to do something original with each work, it doesn't always happen. I don't recall ever seeing a painting that had a leather background. Landscapes, walls, rooms, drapes...so if I can I would like to accent this aspect, plus the brown leather reminds of the model.

Donna asked about the composition. I spent about 21/2 to 3 hours looking for the right pose for the model. BTW, he is in a complete pose down to where his feet are. It doesn't show up yet in the painting but there is wonderful light on his neck, which is center left. I also love to paint/draw ears! His is on the left. And the closest object his the "v" of his collar also on the left. Of course, that all has very stiff competion the strength of the rest of his face--and he has very large intense eyes...they will come in last. But yes, I will accent very strongly the folds in the leather on the upper left side...I want them to counter act and complete a big "V" of the composition.

Oh, the slope of the shoulders balances well against the opposite slope fo the eyes and mouth.

Michael

[belladonna]

It doesn't show up yet in the painting but there is wonderful light on his neck, which is center left. I also love to paint/draw ears! His is on the left. And the closest object his the "v" of his collar also on the left. Of course, that all has very stiff competion the strength of the rest of his face--and he has very large intense eyes...they will come in last. But yes, I will accent very strongly the folds in the leather on the upper left side...I want them to counter act and complete a big "V" of the composition.

Oh, the slope of the shoulders balances well against the opposite slope fo the eyes and mouth.

Michael
Well then, I think that when you bring in the rest of the light, it will all balance nicely. It is very rhythmic already. Looking forward to more. :)

[Newberry]

Hello all,

Donna commented on the rhythmic sense in this portrait [smile]. One of the things I did on purpose was to look for and accent similar shapes, the arcs, in the composition and head. There is an arc of his left collar, arc of his head, lip, eye brow, ear, some of the folds in the background…

I am very tentative to make the background really dark as I want it to have atmospheric depth…but I am enjoying taking my time. Not all work I make goes this smoothly from the beginning, most of the time I hit dead ends and have to redo large areas! Knock on wood this doesn’t happen with this work.

The model won’t be in for two weeks, he is studying for his architects license tests.

Cheers,

Michael

[Newberry]

Hello all,

Another photo update on this portrait. It is getting darker, which scares me a little bit because I don't want to scarfice the spatial flow, for example his collar must come far forward in front of his nose and I need my darkest blacks to help me do that if there are more places with equal black I won't be able to acheive that. But I am very happy with the progress.

Cheers,

Micahel

[Alan Cross]

Looking good don't be worried about going dark you are way more likely to make it better then worse....just keep the colors clean and bright.
Alan :)

[jekaj]

This is beautifully and skillfully rendered and I am very impressed with your technique. I find this portrait to be in a class of its own.

May I post a link to this in the portraiture section?

Jessika

[Newberry]

This is beautifully and skillfully rendered and I am very impressed with your technique. I find this portrait to be in a class of its own.

May I post a link to this in the portraiture section?

Jessika

Thanks Jessika and Alan,

Sorry for the delayed response I have been out of town and offline...Jessika thank you for offering to post this in portraiture, but I believe I posted the painting there too.

I will be updating the it today or tomorrow and I will double check if it is up there in portrait.

Cheers,

Michael

[jekaj]

My mistake! Very happy I didn't miss it altogether!!

Jessika

[Newberry]

The model came today but I worked mostly around his head and a lot on the collar and the molding of his shirt. Next I want to work the upper right corner of the background then very carefully and not to dark work his left cheek. Then play with some background hightlights and then last his eyes.

wish me luck.

Michael

[Biki]

This is so excellent. I cannot believe anyone can do this well.

watching & drooling all over the keyboard.
( i know - you didn't need to know that. :D )

[Newberry]

watching & drooling all over the keyboard.
( i know - you didn't need to know that. :D )

No, Biki, thanks for that.

Michael

[Eugene Veszely]

wish me luck.

Michael

I dont think you need any... but.....good luck! :)

[Newberry]

Hello all, thanks for the comments. I had a short session with the model, brought the collar more forward and I am excited to get to soon do the eyes. He comes next week.

Michael

[artmom]

This is so interesting! I'll check in again later--I can't wait to see this when you get the eyes in! :)

Lyn

[Newberry]

I really have had very little time working with the model, perhaps 2 hours in the last two months, but the model is committed to see it through to the finish, so I am enjoying taking my time with the details.

[belladonna]

Would love a closer look at the way you "draw" with the paint before this is finished. (Get that model back in the studio!@{*)

[Bjmone]

I love your work, and find it even more interesting and mysterious in the unfinished stages. You should experiment with this.

You are very talented.

[crumbedbrains]

awesome!!! . .just awesome!!
Crumby

[Newberry]

Thanks Jo, Crumby! Hi Donna.

I can smell the end coming close. I have been looking at the painting from some 30+ feet away, and the eyes, as well as the structure as a whole looks pretty good from way back there and from very close up.

Jo, I am curious about your "mystery" comment. I think one of the most exciting challenges in painting is completing the forms of objects without making them look flat or polished. On the other hand I also like do quick sketches in pastel and paint, where you can really see the "hand" at work.

I think the model comes tomorrow...fingers crossed, haha.

[Newberry]

Hello all,

Got in another hour and half work done on this. 20 minutes of that is simply looking and comparing and getting back "into" the work. To tie his face with the background and shirt I am looking for "arches" similar in shape to his eye brow, everything that has an arch to it: the folds of the leather background; the arch of his color; the button hole eye;

I still don't have them for the right upper background so I am actively looking for shadows or highlights that I can manipulate to create arcs.

Michael

[belladonna]

This... is fantastic. (I still want that close up before it's all done.) ;)
The colors. mmmmmmm
I'm all inspired now. Thanks. :)
Gonna go paint. :D

[Newberry]

This... is fantastic. (I still want that close up before it's all done.) ;)
The colors. mmmmmmm
I'm all inspired now. Thanks. :)
Gonna go paint. :D

Hey Donna, nice to hear from you. What close up? I would be glad take a detail if that is what your asking me for.

Michael

[belladonna]

Yes please. A detail is what I was after. :o

[Newberry]

Hi Ya'll,

What an elated experience working on the portrait today, all the pieces are coming together! I see just an every so slight blemish around the his lower right shoulder. In any case he will come back one last time.

In finishing the work it was very helpful for me to thinking about accenting the arch shapes that I could find--I made much darker the arch shape crown of his hair.

Next week is the last time. Wish me luck.

Michael

[belladonna]

Next best thing to seeing the work in person, is a detail. Thanks much for a closer look. :)
Do you approach all your paintings in this ‘drawing’ style?

[marshallgh]

Michael,
Your work is stunning. I am so thankful for WC and for artists like yourself who are so willing to share their work and techniques with others. You are an inspiration. Your website is great.
Thanks,
Terry

[Newberry]

FINISHED!!!

Thanks Terry and Donna for your thoughts.

Michael

[dcorc]

Wonderful work, Michael - thank you so much for sharing it with us all - it's a real privilege to have been able to watch this develop.

Dave

[Newberry]

Thank you Dave for you kind comments. Its really a great pleasure to post work here because of the thoughtful comments from the other artists. In truth the benevolence of people on the site really surprized me.

Michael

[belladonna]

It's beautiful Michael. Wish I could see it in person. :clap: