Nick - another portrait WIP

[Shelley P]

Here's another series of step-by-step photos that I took as I painted this portrait for my friend. It's her son.
8x10" on Arches 140lb cold press. W&N and DaVinci paints

I masked the teeth, eyes and necklace and did a was of Cerulean Blue in the background.


First wash of lightest skintone (Raw Sienna & Perm. Rose mix)
Also applied a light wash on ball cap - ivory colour


First shadows on face


Slowly adding more shadows and adjusting the values


Wash of Raw Sienna for sweatshirt
First layer of hair, indicating direction


Removed masking from eyes and teeth and started eye details.
Worked on the hair some more.


Finished eye details and teeth. Just the necklace left to do.


Finished painting


Closeup


Thanks for looking!

Shelley

[Violetta]

Absolutely FABULOUS! Your skin tones and shadows are so realistic and the personality of the subject shines through. Thanks for showing your WIP. Your friend will love this for sure!

[giddy up]

...................thanks for this.... ........raw sienna and perm rose....
interesting.........love how you tied it together with the same sienna as
the shirt color.......I do that too.........I almost always use a mix of
my copper kettle and ult blue in every piece I paint......I use that mix
a lot.......copper kettle is really Quin burnt orange.......
I can make that mix a warm or cool black....a dull blue gray, a vibrant
ult blue, a light brown, etc....etc.....endless possibilities and also can
control the color temp with that mix......add a touch of one or the other
to turn up or down the temperture.....

does he look like he has a black eye?.......it is shadow.....and it looked
that way to me......shadow......but to some it may look like he was in
a fight.....I suppose IRL it appears more red than brown.....or black...

and those teeth........wow........what mix.......just light sienna??

and lips.....always the same mix as the flesh, only add
more perm rose?

sorry.....I am just full of questions tonight.......

just stunning work Shelley

Greg

[Srishti]

Wow, Thanks Shelly!!! Gorgeous as usual!!!! Thanks for the step-by-step!!!!
It's really really appreciated!!!

[Srishti]

Oh and a merit + mentor point from me!!!!

[Borum]

Shelley P, not only is this a wonderful wip this also is wonderful in its "simplicity". It is so easy to make some thing hard....genius is making something simple....

[happypaddler]

A mentor point from me too Shelley. This is brilliant. 8 X 10 and still you painted in individual eyelashes and eyebrow hairs. Yikes! It is your attention to detail that gives your paintings their impact. I have tried many combinations for skin tones but never raw sienna and perm rose. I will have to try it because it obviously works.

[fookie]

Oh sure...falling off a log...oh, hum....

Is it your DP background, your pho-tog skills, your drawing ability...whatever...your portrait work is soooooo good. I looked at your website too, and found some amazing flowers.

For successive washes, are you intensifying your primary wash, or simply layering on the same wash? I have many questions too, like Greg.

Nick's personalty comes blazing through--THAT is a successful portrait, no matter how it is done.

[olliewood0702]

THANKS Shelly for this WIP......you definitely have a knack for painting portraits!! Just simply amazing.

[Shelley P]

Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting on Nick. Glad you like him. I still haven't told my friend yet. I'll wait until I see her next and surprise her (Nick too, I suppose).

Greg - I think you are right about the eye being dark. It's actually very dark in this scan, but the cheek shadow below and nostrils should be equally dark in relation. I do believe you are right and that I need to darken the other sections slightly too, so that the poor guy doesn't appear to have just a black eye.

The teeth are a very thin mix of raw sienna with the tiniest bit of Ultra. Blue and Burnt Umber as needed to just grey down the yellowiness of the raw sienna. Some white highlights are left on the teeth.

I should have made better notes, but yes, I'm pretty sure I used some extra permanent rose in the skin tone mix, in order to make the lips.

Fookie - When I'm glazing over a previous wash, I wait until it's fully dry. Then I'll add a thin glaze (little or no colour unless a whole area is too light) and while wet, put more colour in where darker shadows are needed - the damp glaze helps the edges stay soft. I have to be careful not to lift or spread the colour around though ... the less touching, the better. I use the skin tone mix I started with, and add Ultra. Blue and/or Burnt Umber depending on whether I need a warm or cool shadow. I hope I understood your question correctly and have answered appropriately.

John - I like the perm rose/raw sienna combo for skin because they are both transparent colours which make them good for glazing and I can change the ratio depending on whether I want pink cheeks or golden sunlight. The Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber that I use for shading are also transparent, so again, good for glazing and helping to maintaining 'glow'. The Raw Sienna can be slightly granulating, but I don't mind it personally. You've done many portraits. So what's your favorite skin tone mix?

Shelley

[Cheri Lee]

Ah Shelley~ Another inspiring portrait! I love the way you post the progression in a series of photos with descriptions. I learn so much from you about painting skin tones. I feel as though I'm sitting in a workshop by you! Hence, another mentor point! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your method with us.

Cheri Lee

[giddy up]

Well if his eye reads right IRL that is all that matters......monitors do strange
things some times.......it is tought to get something to look correct on a
monitor for everyone....they are all different........thanks for the answers....
I may try starting a portrait of sorts tonight.......once I find a good ref....
to practice from.......with this palette.......if it looks at least PASSABLE....
I will post it somewhere here.........I was also thinking of doing a collage
of all hands and feet as well.......different positions.......

thanks for this post Shelley .........I always feel that I leave with something
from each thing you post !!!!! .......

Greg

[fookie]

Yes, Shelley, you answered my question. I use Rose Madder Genuine and Auerolin, but tend to get my tones too red.

Are you drawing or tracing? Do you see an advantage to either? You are a wonderful photographer, and painter

Greg, yeah!! hands and feet--I can't wait.

[Shelley P]

Thanks Cheri Lee!

Greg - Be sure and post your hand & foot collage. I find that lighting is the key to an interesting portrait. It makes it so much easier to portray the dimensions of the face because there are shadows and highlights. More fun to paint and more interesting to look at.

Fookie - I often draw, but not this time. I wanted the best likeness possible and already had a good reference, so I just traced. When I do draw, I do it on tracing paper first and work out all the bugs. Then I tape the finished drawing to a window and then tape the wc paper overtop (works just like a light table). Then I can trace a nice clean drawing on the paper with an H technical pencil without any erasing.

Shelley

[bluegenes]

Shelley, I don't know whether to give you a mentor or a merit point for this! You deserve both!

Excellent WIP!

Patty