Background help
 

I could really use some input with this background. This is in progress from life sittings and detailing from photos.

This portrait is of a young man I have known for years. He was actually a political prisoner of Romania until he was 6 years old and was able to join his parents in the States.

During our sittings it has been interesting to talk to him about his past and grandparents. I have also discovered that he has a real "chip" on his shoulder in addition to being 16 years old. I tease him about us knocking that off during our sittings. Which leads me to the background.

Marius likes people to find him unusual and dark, but not gothic. I wanted to use this very dark background with the value of his hair and shirt for that reason. I am concerned too much of him may be getting lost.

Please note that this is at twelve hours and is not completed, his glasses haven

I forgot to mention that this oil is 20" x 16" on linen. Also, just in case Peggy sees this, I did measure out the 2" from the top for the head, and of course my first sketches had the tilt off just enough to make it closer to the top when corrected.

Detail of the head:

This is one of the photos taken; it shows Marius with his glasses. The light shown in the background was used for a still life set up. Marius is lit with natural light.

Dear Beth,

I am noticing so much progress in your work. Good for you!

Regarding this painting, I would recommend looking at Carravagio's work, since he favored very dramatic lighting in several of his paintings. I would think by applying a similar effect to your painting you would give the young man the seriousness he is after.

Since the lighting C. used is often like stage lighting, the frontal view is drastically illuminated, whereby the back immediately goes into the dark shadows. I can't wait to see this finished.

Thanks Enzie, nice to see you back!

I am off to look at his work!

I am not sure if it is just me, but I am always amazed how different my work looks when I post it here. If mistakes are not pointed out, they somehow jump right out at me when I view it on a screen.

This is the updated progress, not only on the background, but the re-working of the figure to get the shape and proportions right.

The crop is in the digital, not the painting.

Beth,

I really like the way you're are pushing the contrast! As for the Carravaggio lighting that Enzie was talking about, I think you should push that a little more, especially on the face.

Although this will not be one of those "pretty pictures" that we see consistently in portraiture, it will be a dramatic piece of art that will show your diversity as a portrait artist. It is a good example of a soulful young man who has seen a lot of life. It seems lately that I am in a rut of little girls with Strasburg dresses or little boys with khakis and a white shirt! I would love to sink my artistic teeth into a portrait like this! And to be able to do a good portion of it from life! WOW, what fun!

Rebecca

Best so far!
 

Elizabeth,

That is one of the best and most powerful heads you have done so far.

Unfortunately you have weakened its values too much. The values on the right hand side are way too light, you have lost the mystery and form. The color of the background on the right is much too light and lavender.

I really love the first version better. This a great subject for you, both as a learning experience and a challenge.

One observation I would like to make is on the pose. It is far too complicated, It takes away from the intense drama of the face. Keep it simple. Think like an Egyptian! Poses that complex or awkward do not read well in painting.

My suggestion is to do this painting over, emphasizing the great expression and look you got in the first one, with a more aggressive standing pose, full length or below the knees.This painting has taken you to another level.

Sincerely,

Thanks everyone for you input.

This young man would be a great standing figure, but Sharon, can you help me with two things?

1. In a thread under "modeling stands" I addressed the problems I have working on stand up figures; I am concerned I am making it out to be a bigger problem for me than it is.

2. What size canvas do you use when doing oils? I know you do life-size with pastel on panel, but to do a full figure in oil, what is a good size for someone at my level? I find it difficult to work really small, especially on faces.

Modeling Stands
 

Elizabeth,

All you need for a modeling stand is 4 to 5 cement blocks, half a sheet of 5/8" plywood and a strong back. I use a one on each corner and sometimes one in the center. I use the lengthwise side. I paint the plywood to go with my scheme.

For your subject, follow the eight head formula in the proportion thread. I like to use half a head or a full head measurement from the top, depending on the composition. I generally use an 8" head. 8" should work for you also. So if you were doing a 5 head figure (mid-thigh) that would be 40" + 4" = 44", mid-calf, 7 1/2 heads, 60" + 4" =64" , full length 8 heads, 64". Here it is a little trickier. 8' heads would be to the weight bearing heel. The foot in front may come forward a bit. You may need an addional 3-4" for that plus 2-3" on the bottom depending on the composition, 4-8' on tne top. so, if my math is correct, the standing figure would be appx. 74 to 80+ inches. Widths scaled proportionately of course.

I think you could get good results with this painting with a 5 head figure.

Check out Sargent for his placement of heads in a picture vis-a vis 3/4, full length etc.

Keep to your theme of dark blue and black. A warm skintone will be your brightest color.

Post some new photos.

Sincerely,

Proportion Error
 

Elizabeth,

Mid-calf is 7 heads, not 71/2 heads, so your figure would be 56" + 4" = 60". Either the mid- thigh or calf size would work. Whatever you feel you can handle.

I find velvet is the best for backdrops, use a deep blue one.

Sincerely,

Thanks for the proportions, Sharon.

I think I will attempt this large of a piece as a pastel first, I don't think I am ready to try it in oil. I know Marius will be excited to pose.

Since I haven't scheduled Marius for another sitting yet, and you thought the head was coming along, I started over and worked from the reference I took at his last sitting.

I did shoot him with and without his glasses. I think his glasses give him a real bohemian look, but I am not sure if they should go on this head and shoulders portrait.

Any comments are needed and welcomed.

Here is a close up. These digitals are a tad dark, I was trying to avoid too much glare. But the canvas is overall dark too.

Drawing help
 

Elizabeth,

Somehow the drawing was more accurate on the first go. On the turned side of his face the mouth should be shorter. The ridge over his eye seems too prominent, as well as his jaw. The cheek bone should be a touch wider. The side of his face turned toward us is a touch too narrow and the position of the ear looks off.

This is a method I sometimes use. Get a proportion wheel and a pair of calipers. Say your reference is a 6" head, and you want an 8" head. Match 6 and 8 on the wheel and it will give you accurate measurements of anything in between. For example from the nose to the chin on your photo is 2", the wheel will tell you what it would be in an 8" proportion. Use your calipers to mark off the right distance. This works well when rechecking your measurements as well.

Take some time to do an accurate head study. Only amateurs rush, thinking that is facilty.

The glasses are great, use them.

Sincerely,

Getting better
 

This piece and your work generally is getting better. In the photo, there are 3 clear values near the head. The highlight, the shadow side of the head and the background which is somewhere between the two. It is nice when the shadows on the subject are stronger than the background-in other words more contrast.

Thanks Tim and Sharon.

I

Okay, for the sake of helping others, I

Tim, Sharon or all,

How do you know how far to push the value in the skin tone, meaning the shadows of the face? I think one of my problems here was I started above from life and then went to the photo reference, but as Sharon pointed out, I tend to lighten the lights instead of darkening the darks. Are there rules of thumb here?

Is it my imagination, or do you see it too? In the photo, the far side of the face appears to advance, and the nearer side appears to recede. That's exactly the opposite of what's really happening. Maybe I'm just used to seeing the far side of the face in shadow.

It makes for a different look, but a challenge to overcome. I think it's why the left side of the mouth doesn't seem to recede in the painting. It doesn't recede in the photo either.

What do you think?

Again
 

See that book with the green apples on the cover just to our left? Ole Davey talks about the shadow value thing and not only that but I like the pictures.

Administrator's Note: Tim refers to the book on the left "Oil Painting Secrets from a Master" which features the work of David Leffel.

Jeff, I think you're right about something there. I think it might be the value problem with the skin tone.

Tim I don't have this book, so I'll see if I can find a web site.

Thanks!

Hi Beth,

My two cents worth. Right now you have a very dark background behind the lightest area of the face; the stark constrast is what pushes that side of the face forward.

Remember aerial perspective, the lightest lights, the darkest darks and the purest colors (usually) come forward. (As always, I'm sure there are exceptions.)

In the reference photo the background (as Tim said) really looks like a medium value, if you lighten this to the correct value I think you would notice improvement in the face.

Check Peggy's tapes, this lighting is very similar to her demonstration.

Your tenacity is paying off!

Beth,

David Leffel does not have a web site. The only option I know is to purchase the book (by clicking it on the left, of course, so I earn about 30 cents in commission :)).

Leffel's book
 

Beth,

I have it, it's great, worth every cent!

Sincerely,

I wanted to go ahead a post the progress of Marius before I add the glasses. I am sure there are still area of concerns, and his sweatshirt is not complete.

I shot this outside, late afternoon. It is a rather gloomy day.

This is the close up of the face:

I went ahead and blocked in the glasses. Here is the result thus far.

Beth--

Couple of things, quickly.

I think you threw out the baby with the bathwater on the background. This is by nature a dramatic painting, and thus will have more contrast than a soft, pastoral outdoor view of a little girl with pansies, for example. A very common technique in portraits is to have the darkest part of the background against the lighter part of the face, and vice versa. It's a matter of degree, value-wise. To me, the strongest area of interest is the way the light part of the face cleaves the dark backgound--that line down the extreme left edge (our left) of the face is the graphic pivot on which the composition hangs. Especially since his gaze is directed into the shadow, not the light. Very unusual and effective.

I like the glasses a lot. Adds interest. The drawing in general is more accurate in this version also.

Remember: mass (contain and simplify) the values into a few simple areas. Background, dark part of face, light part of face, etc. are big shapes FIRST, then smaller shapes within these areas. You can subdivide areas of indentical value with color shifts, between warm and cool, without value shifts, and still descibe form. One common mistake that beginning painters fall prey to is to weaken areas of common value with too many colors and too many values--for instance, don't fall in love with the complexity of reflected light, and the colors, in the dark area of the face--basically keep it all one shape, value and color with VERY SLIGHT shifts of warm and cool colors and value within the shadow to describe his features, so the overall shape stays very unified and simple. You've mostly done that very well here, but some of the colors could be simpler in that area. Check especially the value and color of the shadow area where the nose meets the cheek, it may be a little dark and cool and thus is pushing the left side (our left) of his face too far forward relative to the near side of his head--cheek and ear etc.

Same goes for the background.

Keep it all simple and his inner spirit will thus come forward with less struggle through the paint.

Hi Beth,

There is very little I have to add after the excellent critiques you have already received.

However, I wanted to comment that you have some really nice lost edges going on, especially in the forehead's slihouette edge in light, and in the beard areas. The glasses look good as is, so if it were my painting I'd leave them alone.

The only constructive thing I might add is to review the edges of the lip in shadow and the eye in shadow; think about knocking down the edges and contrasting values in the shadow. You have properly desaturated color in the shadow areas here. Last, consider softening the hairline, especially at the widow's peak.

Fine job!

Tom and Chris,

Thanks for those really helpful closing reviews (well, hopefully closing). The temperature element of portraiture always amazes me and I am going to sneak my easel somewhat close to you in Arizona Chris and you near you in NC, Tom, just so I can watch.

I did a ton of internet research last night on the points you were making. Finished up a pastel commission yesterday that frees me up to tackle this today with a ton of enthusiasm! Because of all the images I reviewed yesterday, I must admit I am in a quandary as to where to take the value behind the dark side of his head after I darken the background of his "lit" side, but I think it will somehow come together.

Thanks again, for the sake of others I am going to post my two favorite portraits I found last night relating to this thread.

This first one I really love. It is full of so much drama, and is appropriately named "Early Sorrow", by Louis Lejeune, 1869.

Please note these reproductions are not the best, they were downloaded from sites and I tried to increase the size a tad with out too much bitmap.

This one is by Claude Mellan, entitled "Head of a Girl"

My last word...really!
 

Bart Lindstrom has often advised to start by making the value of the background the same as the shadow value of the face. It's just a starting point, a possible way in.

Peggy B has a really thorough discussion of background values, under Conceptualizing the Portrait: Baumgaertner Value-massing Lecture. Anyone would be advised to read it.

Good luck!

I wanted to post my limited progress thus far. I went very dark with the background. I ended up lightening it a tad and darkening his clothing with the background to our left.

I worked on the "lit" edge of his face to but am not sure if I took it far enough. I also worked on the nose, check, eye and lip suggestions. I have not touched his hairline or hair and ears yet.

The value is much darker than the shadow of his face, Tom. I started before you posted, but I kind of like it! It is a mixture of the "eggplant" kind of color in his clothing with Prussian blue. Hopefully Peggy can jump in here and lead us to that background thread.

An interesting thing I have noticed is, the more I am working on this canvas (which is a pre-stretched and primed Belgium linen, which I re-primed and sanded with at least 2 or 3 more coats of gesso), is really starting to feel like I am painting on a trampoline. I have never figured out how to get the stretcher tighteners to work that are attached to the canvas backs. Any ideas?

I think this looks a tad yellower than it really is. Chris, I need to go back and read about the color strip you put in your shots of your art.

Thanks again all for your help.

This is the close up:

Beth,

I am enjoying your all the background changes you have been making. It is very interesting to see how the color of the background creates a different mood. I also commend you in hanging in there and challenging yourself.

I would recommend you soften the hair (our left)right where it turns towards the dark background to avoid the pasted on look. Compare your image with that of the little girl that has blond hair. Even though the light shows on her hair, the portion that goes towards the shadow is much softer. The beard area is great, there you nailed it.

This is the latest. The close up is a scan, and the full canvas is a digital shot. Again thank you everyone!

Full figure, once again I apologize for the glare.

Elizabeth,

It is coming along really nicely. Good job. One thing that draws my eyes is the shoulder on the right. There seems to be a part missing or maybe it is just the posing?

Keep it up!

Background check
 

The way to arrive at the optimum background is to set up your subject and bring a number of sheets of different colors and values. Not to chromatic if you want the background to remain back.

Try each behind your model and see what looks best. Many artists have said "paint from nature." What they mean is work from reality, not from your head.

If it looks good to you and achieves your purpose compositionally then it's a keeper.

Trying to do this out of your head is an inefficient use of valuable painting time, if you hadn't already noticed. :)

Beth, I've tapped in a note about the use of stretcher keys, in the Techniques and Tips area.