Portrait in Progress..
 

Hello,

I am having a difficult time with this portrait. The perspective is very difficult for me to get right. His head is slightly tipped forward and looking down. I am also having a difficult time with color. I feel like the freshness of the drawing is almost lost. I am working from a photograph so I think part of the problem is the distortion from the camera. The rest of the problem is with me, I am afraid.

Would anyone be willing to give me a fresh perspective and point out some of the obvious problems? I have just blocked in the shirt so there isn't much visually going on beneath the neck.

Thank you!
Lara Cannon

Source Photo
 

Here is a bad photograph of my source photo. Sorry about the quality.

Lara, I think your work is so beautiful, you have such a wonderful touch.

I never have felt comfortable giving critiques, so take me with a grain of salt, but I feel like you have made his face a little more round than what the photos show. His face in the photo seems to be a tad longer, especially in the forhead, and thinner.

Thanks
 

Hi Mary,

Thanks, I think you are right! I didn't even think about his forehead being wide. Thanks for pointing that out. Once I saw the portrait on the computer screen I realized I had made his jaw and mouth too wide too.

Well back to the drawing board!
Lara

Hi Lara,
If you're having a hard time I can't wait to see the easy ones, that's so beautiful, much better than the reference :thumbsup:

Lara..I it is SOOOOOOOOOOOO close, I bet the parents would be thrilled as is. I was LOOKING for something to tell you.

Thanks to both of you for your replies. I really do like to hear comments about how I can improve. After hours of looking at something it is hard to "see" it any more. I will post the final when the shirt is done.

Thanks--please don't hold back on the criticisms. You couldn't possibly be as critical of my work as I am. :sunnysmil

Lara

Lara, I really like this work too. On the point of view of construction I think there are minor differences with the references, so minor that you might as well ignore them, as Claudemir said the work is better than the photo! Perhaps the shape of the head might miss a slight bit at our top right.
Maybe you could accentuate the cast shadow, so to lose the edges even more in the dark part. Don't be afraid of being bold!
Very nice work anyway!
Ilaria

Lara, this is a great job from a very poor reference photo. No criticism from this end.

Reply
 

Thanks for the responses and tips. I re-worked the core shadow just a bit and brought in the forehead. The head construction was off and I really would like to push the drama. I really appreciate all of the help and encouragement.

I am working away on the fabric and now I hope to art it up a bit. I am disappointed by it's photographic quality. What is the point of creating a bad copy of a mediocre photograph? I am feeling less and less like an Artist with a capital "A" these days. Do any of you feel this way? My clients are pretty happy with the portraits but I am feeling a bit soulless as I grid out photographs and copy and correct for hours on end.

Perhaps it is time to break away from photographs and work from live a models...? That sounds just sounds like such a big leap.

Lara, to my eyes you have done a superior job from inferior reference. When you figure out how to get a subject, who is paying for the work, to sit for hours while it is completed, let us know. We'd all be better off working from life. !!!
Janet

Hi Lara,

I hope you're enjoying Maine. We're having a typically pouring down rainy fall day here in the Northwest. I'm sure you don't miss that!

This is such a nice drawing from very difficult reference. There are a few things that are off though. Chiefly, he looks a lot older in the drawing because the top of the head is too small. The forehead on the right and the whole hair area should both be quite a bit higher/larger.

I also think the outer corner of the mouth extends just a little bit too far on the left. I might also reduce the definition of the teeth, too. I do a lot of smiling portraits and I never feel the teeth look right unless I make the lines between them much, much fainter than the photo.

Don't worry about being able to paint from life. The piece you did in the weekend workshop on Bainbridge was gorgeous!

Good Point
 

Good point Janet. That comment lightened my mood a bit! You reminded my why I keep on working from photographs. No one has been willing to strap their child to a chair and force them smile at me for hours.

Nice to hear from you Michelle. I like all of your suggestions. Maine is fine--it is even colder and darker than Seattle. We are already in the 20's and this is Fall!

Changes
 

Here is where I am at with the changes:

Lara, I think you did really well on this one. I understand all your feelings very well, I paint mainly children and went through many frustrating moments. So... I lept half way! I started with painting my children live, and now I am already on the fourth work which is started on a photo, just for the basic mapping, and completed with live sittings, and I painted my children completely live.

Well, it's sooo different, but personally I find it more interesting, challenging and I really enjoy it !

Pros: painting more interesting, relationship with subject deeper, chance of pushing the colours a bit further.
Cons: a lot more difficult, takes longer, with children can only work during weekends, painting under constant pressure of speeding up.
As I said I always have a photo as a back up, but now I couldn't really go back to painting entirely from a photo with satisfaction.
Best of luck, and give it a go!
Ilaria

Finished...
 

Hello everyone,

I want to thank everyone for their help. I have come to the point where I am just going to let it be. Here is the final.


Thanks again!
Lara

Gorgeous!

Wow! Amazing!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Lara, this looks lovely and very lively!
Ilaria

Stunningly well done. It was time to stop.

Completely Charming! Lara, this is gorgeous and exudes warmth and personality!

Bravo!
 

You did a luciously beautiful job! One hundred thumbs up. :thumbsup:

Thanks again
 

Hello,

Thank you for the nice comments. It is nice to get such positive feedback from everyone.

Lara

Gosh Lara,

You've made a stunning portrait to cherish from a terrible and blurry reference, but one would never detect that, with your superb finish and insight. It takes a special talent and level of experience to accomplish what you have.

I just stumbled upon this thread for the first time. I felt you were well on your way even on your first image post. My only critique would have been against the photo reference, but you were able to read through all its weaknesses. Congratulations! ...And, it was nice to see your process, through a work in progress, so thanks for sharing this.

Garth

It is simply gorgeous. Thanks for sharing!

You should have posted it in the unveilings sections long ago.
Congrats, that's a great piece.

I want to add my "wows" to this piece. You've worked a miracle with that reference photo, congratulations! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I am sorry to be so late too! You've done a marvelous job, and I particularly like the handling of the shirt to support your center of interest!

I realize you are completed but you might want to recheck the highlights in the eyes - both the placement and the value. With side lighting I think one highlight will generally be brighter.

Beautiful work!

Quick Note
 

It occurs to me that I am getting more credit than I deserve. The photo I posted on the internet is a poor quality photo of my referrence photo. It was better in person. :sunnysmil

Thanks for the great feedback. Thanks for the information about the highlight in the eyes--that is good to know.

Lara