Home Forums Explore Media Watercolor Watercolor Studio Siena I (A Portrait Demo that just Drags on and on)

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  • #451812
    atlee
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        I thought I would do a demo that might point out a few approaches I take to painting a portrait and also demonstrate how some things work out well and others not so well. But I get ahead of myself. I found our subject in Siena, Italy a few years ago and was struck by his not so healthy appearance contrasted with his smoking a cigarette. Not good! Let’s get started with a graphite drawing of our subject.

        I apologize for the poor photos but I took all but one of them in my studio with artificial light and without flash so they wouldn’t wash out. Hopefully, they won’t be too bad. Ok, it’s a half sheet of Artistico Fabriano CP. I will refer to the colors I use by name and they are all W&N colors.

        I start by blocking in his head with mostly Light Red with a little Yellow Ochre leaving a few areas I want to be lighter values and highlights. I use Indian Red around his nose and Indian Red and Phthalo Green (oops, that’s Davinci) around his eye, nostril, and ear for darks. I also use a very watered down Phthalo green around his temple and a little French Ultramarine Blue (FUB) in front of his ear. At this point, I am just blocking in some colors.

        Ok, I introduce some Brown Madder as highlights around the top of his head, his nose and various places around his eye, ear and check. Also, added a little more Phthalo Green to bring out flesh tones. Pretty good luminescence at this point and I probably should have stopped here as you will see later. I haven’t painted with this paper in a long time and couldn’t resist my natural tendency to keep fiddling. Have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and keep looking and you will see. I love a painting at this point where it seems as if it is coming out of the paper…….but I digress from the demo!

        I continue to shape his face and head with the colors mentioned about but also add some cobalt blue to under his neck and a few other areas. You can see I am also using more and more of the Brown Madder for the highlight areas. LOL, I must have taken the photo while the paper was still wet as he looks like he has the mumps and maybe a large goiter!

        I added a background which I think was FUB and Burnt Sienna and Burnt Umber and there is probably a little Indian Red also. Pretty light mixture……actually a little too light I decided later. I continue molding the face with Indian Red and Phthalo Green for the darks and Brown Madder for the highlights. I really don’t like that background!

        I blocked in the rest of the hand but its still going to need more work later.

        This is a lousy photo as I think I had one of my lights turned off when I took the photo. I use a warm light and a cool light and i think I had the warm light turned off. I tried to compensate but it makes the photo a little weird. I included it so that you could see where I worked on his neck and hand. Yuck, let’s move on! LOL

        Ok, I had both lights turned on for this photo and you can tell a little more about the colors. Just brushed in some stripes on that sweater.

        I put a few shadows on the sweater and some color on the strap and I fiddled with the shadows and highlights on his neck. I am not happy with it at this point and still don’t like that background. Hmmmm, I think I may have used the wrong colors on that sweater (Burnt Sienna and Phthalo Green with a little Indian Red here and there). The sweater is too much like the background.

        I went back over that background with a soup of Phthalo Green, Indian Red, and FUB in an attempt to make it a little darker without being too dark. I carried the mixture into the sweater for some color harmony…..maybe too much color harmony!

        I added a light wash of Phthalo to his neck and jawline and back of his head and after it dried, I added a light wash of Indian Red to the same areas. A few touch up highlights and a couple of darks and then I added his hair with some FUB and Burnt Sienna and a little white gouache.
        This is not one of my finer paintings (LOL) and I think the lesson here is that I should have stopped on his face and head long ago and kept some more of the luminescence and used a different wash and approach on the background. It can be tough to know when to quit a watercolor. I am an old oil painter and you can just keep fiddling and fiddling with oil and it is ok but that is not the case with watercolor! As for the painting, its in the trash. Hope you enjoyed an maybe even learned something from the demo!
        atlee:)

        #570582

        Thank you for the demo.:thumbsup: This is a fantastic portrait and definitely not for the trash. I would definitely darkened the background in order to bring further forward the face. The problem on this painting is that the face and the background have about the same value. Darken the background and then you’ll see. :)

        ETA: And then repaint the hair details in order to define them on the darker background.

        #570584
        Dick
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            What a shame. I dream of painting as well as your trash.

            Dick Hutchings
            Daniel Smith Essential 6 colors and Arches 140#

            #570570

            A great commentary Atlee, not trash in my book.

            I was a little puzzled by the references to Brown Madder as highlights :confused:

            Doug


            We must leave our mark on this world

            #570574
            atlee
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                Thanks Marialena! I actually pulled the painting from the trash and added a couple of more washes of dark color to the background. I’ll post the painting in the forum as soon as I can take a photo of it. Still not a great painting in my judgement but it is better. Thanks for your suggestion!
                Thanks Dick!
                Thanks Yorky! I use Brown Madder for red highlights in my paintings…..not sure why you are confused. W&N Brown Madder is actually a red and makes a excellent wash or a nice highlight. I use it in just about every portrait.
                atlee

                #570571

                Sorry Atlee, I always think of highlights as lighter.

                Doug


                We must leave our mark on this world

                #570573

                Wonderful explanation of the way you painted this portrait AND the background as well, Atlee.

                I’ll add it to the Learning Demoes in the Portraits section. Do post the revised version in this thread when you photograph it as well as in The Gallery with a link here. :D

                Sylvia

                #570575
                atlee
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                    Here is the final product after a couple of darker washes for the background. I’ll let you decide if it worked. Thanks again to Marialena for the suggestion!
                    atlee:)

                    #570572

                    Much better Atlee, a wonderful result.

                    Doug


                    We must leave our mark on this world

                    #570577
                    pjartwc
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                        Superb demo and finished painting!

                        C&C WELCOMED

                        Jan

                        #570590
                        Johnnie
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                            Nicely done. You should be proud..

                            Johnnie

                            Spread Kindness Like Confetti !!

                            #570579
                            maryinasia
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                                this is wonderful! love the roundness, the 3D effect

                                #570586
                                Ellen E
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                                    I love this painting. It’s very, very good. I used to do portraits now and then when I was working with oils which is a very forgiving medium.. When you take portraits, which are difficult, then add in that watercolor is the toughest of mediums to use for a lot of artists, I’d say you’ve accomplished something tremendous here. I’m new to watercolor as a medium and it’s taken me a month just to do a reasonably passable barn owl for my great-grandson’s nursery. I certainly can’t imagine that you’d throw this wonderful painting in the trash. Thank you for sharing with us!

                                    #570581
                                    wdaniels
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                                        Very nice! Nice control of edges on the top of the head.

                                        #570576
                                        Agilepaws
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                                            Atlee -A wonderful painting. It worked!

                                            -Sharryn

                                            C&C Welcomed
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