PORTRAIT GALLERY - November/ December 2011

**Lauren F-M** · #1 11-01-2011, 01:00 PM

What's on your easel (or in your sketchbook) this month?

This gallery is "open" until the end of 2011, and I expect lots of work up on the walls!

Show a finished portrait, or one in any stage of progress (WIP = Work in Progress). This thread is for showcasing your work; others will only critique your work if you request it.

Note that finished Holiday Portrait Swap portraits can (and are heartily encouraged!) be posted here, too. The more the merrier!

So please show us what you've been up to this month. We'd love to see it.

Note: If you welcome Comments and/or Critique, let us know when you post (ie: "Cs & Cs welcome")

Even if you have already shown it in the main portraiture forum, you are invited to showcase it in this thread, also, as this thread will remain in the Library Archives. (We welcome Self-portraits... anything portrait, in all mediums)

And be sure to check out previous Portrait Galleries in the Archives. Lots of great work in there!

So... let's get those portraits set up in the gallery....

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AmritS · #2 11-03-2011, 08:44 AM

Here is my finished version. Not much in it I know, but I redid the hand and added more yellow to her face.

**Lauren F-M** · #3 11-03-2011, 03:29 PM

Well, here I am with some work to hang in the gallery. Both are works-in-progress of the same model, who is currently modeling for two groups I attend. I had posted the first WIP shots in the old (Sept./ Oct.) Portrait Gallery thread, but will post them again here, so you can see them from the beginning.

Susannah is our lovely model. Last Wednesday I started off by doing a sketch of her; about an hour, as I was late:

From the drawing and a photo reference I took, I drew her again on a prepared 8" x 10" panel, in conte, in prep to paint this week:

Starting in with oils from life, after 1 hour:

... after another hour... (can only add so much paint, as the surface is very slick, and the paints tend to lift what is under)

We have one more session (2+1/4 hours) with this pose next week.

Thursday: started an oil of Susannah last week, after doing a little thumbnail sketch first. Here is the sketch and the first WIP of the painting (10" x 10") at the end of that session (3 hours for both):

After this morning's 3-hour session (sorry for the quality of the photo; hard to get good light with no shine):

We have two more 3-hour sessions with this pose.

Thanks for looking!

raeburn10025 · #4 11-04-2011, 06:51 AM

These look great so far Lauren.

**Lauren F-M** · #5 11-04-2011, 08:07 AM

Thanks, Raeburn!

Also -- I really like your oil head studies (man named Raven?) on your Flickr page.

I hope you will be posting up some work here.

raeburn10025 · #6 11-04-2011, 08:43 AM

Raven, yes - I did a few quick studies. These are best ones I think. Oil on linen. Thanks for the compliment!

mnsrc · #7 11-04-2011, 12:34 PM

Hello everybody, wonderful inspirational work!

I started on a project last night which will be a retirement gift for a colleague of mine. Since its a surprise, I'm working with a scanned reference photo which is nice, but way overexposed on the left side. His wife is sending me the original so I hope its better. Anyway, this will be in black and white charcoal and fairly realistic and detailed. Right now I've basically got him blocked in using a "Sofft" sponge tool dipped in charcoal, I've set the location of the major landmarks (pupils, corners of the mouth, etc., and I've started on the rough shadow shapes. C=C always welcome. I'll post updates here.

jules34 · #8 11-04-2011, 01:24 PM

Here is an oil on canvas 16X20 that I finished. It was my first portrait and was very special, the girl on the left is in Iraq and this was the only photo her dad (middle) had of him and his daughters. He cried when he picked it up and of course I cried also.

mnsrc · #9 11-04-2011, 04:56 PM

Wonderful work, Jules.

juliajane · #10 11-04-2011, 07:48 PM

This is one I am working on - I tried to take a photo of it 4 times in various lighting and it is STILL too blue - it is much less blue in reality and there are greens in there that aren't coming through in this pic

juliajane · #11 11-04-2011, 07:50 PM

Lauren - that painting is amazing and is going to be even more so when finished!

Raeburn - I've already complimented you enough for one day

Martin - looking forward to seeing how this develops

Jules - lovely portrait and lovely story!

bettythecat · #12 11-05-2011, 08:09 AM

Great stuff going on here

**Lauren F-M** · #13 11-05-2011, 01:31 PM

Raeburn -- All three "Raven"s are wonderful, and you have really captured him; I'd know him if I met him (much to his surprise, I'm sure!)

Martin -- You have a great structural start to this; a great credit to you, due to the bad quality of the reference photo. I look forward to seeing your progresson this one.

Jules -- you have captured great expressions on all three here.

I'd watch your edges, as some look a bit hard, where I'd go with softer.

Julia -- A very colourful painting. I'm having trouble making out what the girl is doing.

Leigh -- Wow!

Another stunning portrait!

Amrit - (we moved your portrait over to the current Portrait Gallery thread, as you posted it in the old one after the end of Oct.) Looking good!

In future, mind your soft and hard edges. It's something I know that I need to work on, as well.

dollardays · #14 11-05-2011, 06:12 PM

Great work here!

I paint from life mostly.

Here is Thomas from today: 11" x 14" oil on board - 2 hour pose

This girl is five hours. 14" x 18" oil on linen

**Lauren F-M** · #15 11-05-2011, 10:04 PM

Nice work, Nora!

It's always a pleasure to see your work.

That first one of the guitarist is wonderful -- and I doubly-applaude you, as I know how hard it is to draw/ paint a guitar at that angle from life. The sitter usually keeps moving a bit, so the guitar angle keeps changing. You caught it!

The lady is lovely and the painting looks exotic. Was the setting all set up where you painted this? Really adds mood.

Salute to our Partners