Tip sheet for capturing a likeness

[llis]

I have decided that I want to try a portrait. Just wondering if any of you might have a few tips you would like to pass on in regards to capturing a likness in any medium.

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Phy...llis Franklin
WetCanvas! MOM
Blackberry Ridge Studio & Art Gallery (http://prf.artistnation.com)
Hope to see you in the Cafe Chat Room (http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/WetChat/index.html) Or...Find me in the
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[roxanne_mc]

I measure to capture the face..one eye space between the eyes if the face is right no,,and find a point reference to measure the rest of the face by...study the person's features,,eyes are shaped different the nose and how it is shaped...do some practice sketching and practice before you attempt THE paining...good luck hope to see your piece in the critique forum
rox

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[degreene72]

the most helpful comment i've ever heard is david leffel saying that a likeness is in the bone structure, not the details. his example was that you recognize a familiar person even at a great distance...from the bone structure. also sargent's comment that the eye is dropped like a poached egg into the eye socket, which is another way of emphasizing the importance of getting the bone structure of the face right first, before you worry about the details. david leffel says paint the lights and shadows first, get the TOPOGRAPHY of the face right, the "ins and outs" and then worry about the interruptions (details.)
also that the fleshy areas (cheeks, nose) are warmer than the bony areas.
anyway, i try to remember these things and they sort of illuminated for me a way to approach a portrait.

[This message has been edited by degreene72 (edited January 30, 2001).]

[kemshmi]

Hi llis http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/smile.gif

the december issue of "artists magizine" had a good limited palette and some good info on how to use it!! (maybe they hve this article on their website)

good luck with it http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
Kemshmi

[djstar]

My portraits started getting REALLY good when I stopped painting noses and eyes and lips and really tried to only paint color and value shapes.
I am not an abstrationist at ALL, but I made a shift in my vision, (seem my article on PRESBYOPIA!) and had to think about what I saw differently and my whole picture changed.
It was less about measuring than REALLY seeing. I try to make my eye move and my hand follow it with paint or pencil or pastel.
When all the shapes and relationships are in, then I put on the glasses and in a few strokes stick in a nostril, an eye edge and LAST of all a glint.
Sometimes I work ten or 15 minutes thinking where to stick those 3 or 4 pure white dots to bounce the light off the flesh, usually one on each eye and the nose and the lip.
Likeness is there first in value, then in color.
Or that is how I feel about it.
Not sure it helps...
dj*

[Suz]

There are some very good articles on this site at: http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Portraiture/index.html

"Drawing with the Right Side of your brain" is a good book to explain how to see. I believe really seeing helps.

[Roan]

Originally posted by djstar:
My portraits started getting REALLY good when I stopped painting noses and eyes and lips and really tried to only paint color and value shapes. . . .dj*

Debra:

Sigh. I've been TRYING to teach myself this for eons and I just can't get it! My logical side fights with my artsy side and I get a mish-mash mess! I don't think "this is a nose" while I'm painting, but dang it all, that's what happens. *whine*

When I look at Doug Dawson's amazing pastel portraits, I'm in awe. He paints just this way and his stuff is totally awesome.

I'm totally fascinated with his urban night scenes. All light, shadow and color. Sigh. Here's a couple I saw on the web: http://www.collectorsguide.com/sf/g219aa.html#Dawson
http://www.cmww.com/advertising/asld/dawson.html

I don't see any of his portraits, unfortunately.

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<FONT face="Script MT Bold"><FONT COLOR="#AB4835"><FONT size="5">Roan</FONT s></FONT c></FONT f>
<FONT COLOR="#8A1010">Nan dèanadh mo làmh mar a dh'iarradh mo shùil!</FONT c>
-- <FONT size="1">If my hand could do as my eye would desire!</FONT s>
RoanStudio.com (http://RoanStudio.com) &lt;-- pastel open stock vendor sources & reviews!

[degreene72]

doug teaches at the art students league in denver, roan....come on down!!

[Roan]

Originally posted by degreene72:
doug teaches at the art students league in denver, roan....come on down!!

Oh, that's mean! http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/wink.gif
I would LOVE to be in one of his classes. The way the man handles colors and - ARGH! Doesn't he ever leave CO and NM? *grumble*

Heck with this! I'm going to sit down with Doug's book and do studies of his paintings. Over and over, until I'm covered from head to toe with pastel dust!

Actually, I just had a thought. If I start with doing studies of his urban night scenes, the pattern might get set in my head. Then, if I move to one of his easy portraits -- I'm going to try that!

Wish me luck!

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<FONT face="Script MT Bold"><FONT COLOR="#AB4835"><FONT size="5">Roan</FONT s></FONT c></FONT f>
<FONT COLOR="#8A1010">Nan dèanadh mo làmh mar a dh'iarradh mo shùil!</FONT c>
-- <FONT size="1">If my hand could do as my eye would desire!</FONT s>
RoanStudio.com (http://RoanStudio.com) &lt;-- pastel open stock vendor sources & reviews!

[Suz]

Originally posted by Roan:

I'm totally fascinated with his urban night scenes.

Thanks for the links.
I am thinking about paining a rual night sceene. The moon reflects on the snow in all kinds of cool colors. Where it is really icy, the reflection is a light turqois. I tried taking a photo but it did not come out, and it is way too cold for plaine air.

[sue ellen]

My portraits started getting REALLY good when I stopped painting noses and eyes and lips and really tried to only paint color and value shapes.


i like what Djstar said about painting a likeness...i quoted only one line..but i really like what you said in your entire post..i think i will have to try your technique out!

sue ellen

[Cherie]

If you are painting or drawing from a photo, turn it upside down and just concentrate on the light and shadow.........works for me. http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Cherie

[djstar]

Cher, that is sooo true.
Did you see what bruin70 did for my post a few days ago?:

He turned me upside down! (http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/Forum21/HTML/002545.html)

It must have to do with that right and left brain thing. I do much better work from my gut than my head.

You all laugh, but I am totally serious about buying a pair of over prescribed reading glasses and looking at the model.
The likeness IS in the planes and shapes and relationships. I really respect Larry and he is RIGHT, but it is less the HOW of a person, than the WHO of them I go for.

EVERYONE is always walking up and measuring my chins. I seem to be a bit chin heavy, so my girls look a little masculine BUT it occured to me, that my perception of most people being a 5'4" female will be MORE from below than a 6'male. It seems to be my familiarity, so I strive to keep my perspective simpler and remember I KNOW it but only use it when I need it.
And I work completely backwards. My eyes are last.
They come in as a shape with highlights and darks.
One of my favorites does not even HAVE eyeballs:
<IMG SRC="http://www.wetcanvas.com/Critiques/lib/31-Jan-2001/Gretchenthoughful.jpg" border=0>

I want to be very clear, this is NOT in any way a contradiction of the advice of the EXCELLENT and much respected previous postings, and the only reason I am blabbing is that my forte seems to BE the likeness.
Sort of am stuck with it.
Not any direction or plan for it, but when I paint the model, I become a favorite.
I think the BEST judge of the likeness is the owner of same.
So, PLEASE take what you LIKE and leave the rest....
dj*

[LarrySeiler]

I've been working on a handout, plastic coated, to market for public school classrooms. In essence, Da Vinci's notebooks reveal some averages or a standard for achieving a likeness based upon his cutting up and working with cadavers.

I put together a system from his notes that begins with the eyes and works outwardly. I found that if you have the eyes perfectly, the likeness will be caught by the viewer. You could have the face too wide or narrow, too long or short, etc., but the personality is captured in the eyes and the person will yet be recognized. On the other hand, if the eyes are not captured, the rest of the face captured perfectly will have viewer's asking, "who is that?"

So...one convenient thing about my system is you either capture the likeness immediately or you don't by focusing on the eyes first. No sense wasting time on what isn't going to work.

The liability however, is that this system is based for the most part on Da Vinci's work on people of European descent. Still, understanding the averages that work on the majority of people helps the artist see and distinguish those particular traits that stick out. You note when a person has large eyes, a large nose, smaller eyes...etc;

Simply...I draw a rectangle the height of an iris...and the length of the eye is twice the height of the eye. The distance between the eyes is the length of one eye. I usually draw two parallel lines the height of one iris, close off the ends, make sure I have three equal rectangles each two iris's in length. The parallel lines assure the eyes will be on the same structural plane.

The width of the nose is the length of an eye. The distance from pupil to pupil is- equal to the length of the nose; equal to the width of a closed relaxed mouth; equal to the length of the ear. The distance from temple to temple is the same distance as from the bottom of the chin to the bridge of the nose, and the bridge of the nose to the forehead hairline.

The length of the closed relaxed mouth is equal to the distance from bottom of the chin to the middle of the mouth.

I then use my eyes to eyeball the width or distance from the temple to the side of the head and draw a line straight up and down, and a line over from the bottom of the chin and top of the hair. This creates essentially a rectangle which I then use the negative space to assist in achieving the jawline/cheek so that the shape is the same on both sides.

There is much more...but this sorta is the system in a nutshell. For the most part, most dimensions will work for most caucasions. Those features that do not become those unique qualities for the artist to pay attention to.

Larry
http://www.artsmentor.org

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"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do!" Edgar Degas

[This message has been edited by lseiler (edited January 31, 2001).]

[LarrySeiler]

There is a difference between academic studies, head knowledge, familiarity and the energy that shoots from the hip intuitively.

Now...some think intuition to require no cognizant acquisition by hard work, but...what has become familiar by hard study does in time require no further thinking and one does stuff without thinking.

On the other hand...work that remains academic often looks lifeless, labored.

Aesthetics comes with the artist's passion and confidence...

I "know" the technical as concerns for example the portrait. The anatomical structure of the face.

When I paint, however...I prefer squinting my eyes, blocking in masses, shapes and shadows; responding to form, color, light. It magically falls together...but does so I believe because I have that "head knowledge" thankfully long behind me...and I simply react and respond emotively and experientially.

If a person can learn to depend on form, shadows, light, color...and gains confidence as such then perhaps a great deal of understanding of the academic would prove itself unnecessary. As it is...a good many people have unwarranted fears, perhaps there as a result of being left brain manhandled, and the academic approach allows such to slowly crossover and yield to proper aesthetic discernments.


Larry
http://www.artsmentor.org

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"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do!" Edgar Degas

[djstar]

YES!
That is what I meant to say!
http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
We agree.

Hard work makes it look simple.
I have been WORKING a lot...A LOT! Like two or three models a week, different heads every time for almost 18 months straight.
I was not good at the measuring BUT when I needed to figure out WHY it was wrong I looked and always dug back in my head for the math. The proportions below the shapes and the knowlege I sort of take for granted took a lot of study.
My seeking the personality or the likeness is what I am trying to describe and it is harder to do by formula.
It is that leap of faith you get from trusting you have done it before and can do it again.

Just one more point: I NEVER get so stuck on any sketch or single part that I have done sooooo good that I couldn't bear to paint over it and get the whole picture better.
A nostril or eyelid in itself is important but if the head around it is not there, snip it down, get a tiny little frame and forget about the head.
I work all over the page all the time.
I only do the details last. Without fail, the better picture results.

Humble student, sounds like teaching, only to learn better: dj*

[ldallen]

Both "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and Leffel's book helped me tremendously. I was watching Sinatra one night and decided he'll be on for a while so I grabbed my sketch book and started sketching him (which wasn't easy as he was never still. So far everyone that has seen it has recognized him immediately.

[This message has been edited by ldallen (edited February 06, 2001).]

[LDianeJohnson]

To all:

Spend just one workshop with a real portaitist...whether through being on site, or nowadays on a good video. Just one of these will give you what you need and answer the questions you seek. There you will find the direction to "observe", "use color", "capture a likeness"...that you wish to emulate and execute.

Diane

[llis]

Thanks everyone! Now only to put that paint on the brush! http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

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Phy...llis Franklin
WetCanvas! MOM
Blackberry Ridge Studio & Art Gallery (http://prf.artistnation.com)
Hope to see you in the Cafe Chat Room (http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/WetChat/index.html) Or...Find me in the
Community Projects (http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/Projects)

[bruin70]

flip your photo and canvas upside down and line up your proportions. if you're painting from a live model, tell her to stand on her head......{<FONT COLOR="red">M</FONT c>}

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"it's alright to be judgmental,,,,,,,,if you have taste"...MILT

[llis]

I can always count on you {M} to give me the truth and then smack me with your wit.

It made me smile this morning. Thanks!

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Phy...llis Franklin
WetCanvas! MOM
Blackberry Ridge Studio & Art Gallery (http://prf.artistnation.com)
Hope to see you in the Cafe Chat Room (http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/WetChat/index.html) Or...Find me in the
Community Projects (http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/Projects)

[Beau]

LISTEN TO ARTISTRY!....

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Beau