Girl with Piercings - WIP

[Ellen in Ont]

I have had a few requests to do this painting as a WIP so I will post my progress here for this one. I usually have an area on my website called "on the easel" where I post my daily progress but it is a very abreviated version. I had to keep track of the actual colours I am using for this one.

The story behind it: I am a member of the International Guild of Realism Painters and they are holding a juried show. The theme is "if the old masters were alive and painting in 21st century realism, what would one of their masterpieces look like?" I chose Vermeers "Girl with a Pearl Earing" that is one of my favourite paintings.
I started by hiring a young model to photograph (who didn't bother to wear any earings to the shoot and only two piercings). She kept slouching so I only got one pose with the right posture and it was blurry. Here is the ref photo I am starting with. This painting is going to be easy because I can change the appearance to anything I want. It is not a portrait commission. She came in a t-shirt but I wanted something with drapes so I just draped a piece of fabric around her neck to simulate a fancy blouse.

[Ellen in Ont]

Step 1: I worked with the photo in photoshop a bit, decided on where I will add peircings, and drew it out. Sorry for the bad image. It is hard to see lines on white paper. I made more lines than I normally use then went over everthing with a kneadable eraser to make them very light. If you see any green around the edges, it is the masking tape that holds down the paper.
I am using Fabriano Artistico Extra White 300 lb CP paper and it is 14 x 20". I use W&N and DV paints and will list the colours along the way.


I then masked out the highlights in the eyes and the piercings and while that was drying, I did a light wash of burnt sienna over the background. This lets me define the figure, see what the negative space looks like, and adds the first of many background washes. My dark backgrounds are usually washes of every colour I've used in the painting but put on separately so the variations show through at the end. I also added some of the background colour in the folds of the shirt to start working them out.

[Ellen in Ont]

Step 2:
I started with the eyes (I always do) because it brings the painting to life for me and starts to add the darkest values so I have something to judge the rest of the values against. Sorry for the blurriness of the photos, it was late at night.
The first thing I did to the eyes was add a wash of quin gold to the irises.



Then, when that was almost dry, I charged in some burnt sienna and brown madder in dabs. When that was dry, I added raw umber mixed with quin gold where I saw that colour in the ref photo. When that was dry, I added raw umber and indigo mix to the dark areas leaving a lighter area in each pupil for a darker highlight. When all of those areas were dry, I took a clean damp brush and lightly tickled any hard edges to soften them.



I know that photo is really bad, sorry. Then, when everything wash dry again, I added a wash of dilute indigo to the pupil area including the softer highlight., added pink and UB dilute washes to the whites of her eyes (this will be darker later). When dry, I tickled them with a clean damp brush to remove hard edges and lifted tiny areas of light in the irises.

[Ellen in Ont]

The next thing I did was start adding some skin tones around the eyes. My favourite trio of colours I use on almost all my paintings is quin gold, perm rose and UB. They mix cleanly (no mud) make vibrant secondary colours, and lift well The UB also granulates when I want that effect. It also makes wonderful greys. I used these three colours to start the skin tones around the eyes and blocking in values. It will end up much darker but this is a start.



I then added a clean wash of water over all the skin areas on the face and neck. This is because I don't stretch my paper and the first washes does something to the sizing (it's not as harsh). I added my first washes of palest skin tones to the face.



While waiting for that to dry, I added a wash of plain UB to the background and added dabs of darker UB as I played. I left the side where the light was coming from lighter. I still am just playing with the background and haven't made any solid decisions about it yet.

[Ellen in Ont]

The last thing I did last night was to make up a wash of my mixed grey with some Indigo (still very light) to start picking out the darker shadows in the hair and neck. I added a few highlights of quin gold to the hair earlier. I have to be careful when I add indigo because it stains. I also used a purple mix to start defining the ear and shadows on the face.

[Uschi]

WOW Ellen, you are zooming right along!!! Fabulous WIP, THANK YOU!!! Keeping my eyes glued to the screen!
Uschi

[jaydiva]

Oh WOW, this is already fantastic!!!!
I'm so glad you're doing this as a WIP

[Ellen in Ont]

Hi Uschi and Jutta, nice to have you watching.
I worked another hour on this this morning. I used quin gold and raw umber to make streaks of colour in the hair just to work out where the lights and darks will be. I did a wash of quin gold over the whole blouse. It will end up looking like the colour of suede if I do it right. I put a wash of brown madder over the background to start building up the darker values. I also started lightly defining the nose and mouth before I go darker with the skin tones.

One thing I have found, in portraits especially, is to always soften any hard edges with a little tickle with clean water after each wash dries. It is impossible to remove a hard edge after you put another wash over it.

[CharM]

Wow... this is an exciting project, Ellen! And you work REALLY fast! Fantastic background... beautiful eyes... She makes my lip hurt...

[lpb]

This is an interesting concept & a fascinating WIP. Not being too art-history-literate myself, I am wondering if you can provde a link to Vermeers piece you are reinterpreting? Thanks for sharing!

[andymathis]

Wow- this is fantastic. I am glued to the monitor.
I want to do more portrait stuff but would have to tranquilize the nieces and nephews with a dart gun to get them sit still for a photo.

LOL at Char and her lip.

[Ellen in Ont]

Hi Char - LOL about your lip comment as well. This part of the painting usually goes pretty fast. It's sort of like the frame of a house. The finishing details are what take the longest time.

lpb - nice to see you here. Here is Vermeer's painting. Mine obviously has a loooong way to go to see any resemblance.


Andy - nice to have you following along. Try taking a photo when they are asleep.

I only had a little time to work on this this afternoon. I took a deep breath and covered the background in a wash of indigo. I will make it warmer next wash. I don't know if I want it as completely dark as the original yet. I also started working on the folds of the "blouse".

[keysgram]

Ellen, this is just awesome!!!

So very interesting to watch you do this...I will keep checking in on your progress...

Thank you so much!!!

[Dondi]

Hi Ellen,
I'm watching too! Too afraid to even try a portrait myself but I'm really enjoying your work and learning all I can.
Thanks for posting this as a WIP!

[laudesan]

Pulling up a chair real quick!!!!!!!!!

I have some choc cake left..


JJ