Romancing the Stone
 

The good news was that it was a commission. The bad news was the resource photo. I think that this is every portrait artist's nightmare. The client in this instance is very attached to this photograph and I am sure will take a lot of credit for the success of the portrait (if there should be any) :). The photograph was taken 15 years ago, so the models are too old to patch in information that is missing. Actually the skin tones in the photograph are not too bad and I think that I can work well with the heads and hands. But the composition?? ;C I would really appreciate any help here - especially with cropping and background.

Dear Clive,

I doubt this is the answer you are interested in, but this is a case of sow's ear, silk purse. This photo lacks every possible element you will need to create a successful portrait: lighting, composition, color, and value. Cropping and background treatment can't rescue it.

I know how difficult it is to say "no", but I recommend you do so anyway. This client is talking to you about a commission because she believes you have an expertise she does not. Offer to take your own photos; offer to go through her albums with her; send her to a photo resotoration expert. You will come to regret it if you proceed - this I know from own experiences, recalled with great mortification.

Hello Clive,

I think that I would agree with everything that Chris said. If a gun were put to my head I would go for something like this.

Hello Clive,

Hopefully you'll be able to work from different references as Chris suggests. If you have to use the photo, I do like what Mike did, however I have recently read that the best way to create a successful portrait of two is to have them interacting with one another. In this case I think you may be able to remedy the pose by having the mother's eyes looking directly at the baby. That way they would not be competing for attention as they are now.

:) Good Luck.

I agree with Mike and Carolyn. I would definitely try to find some more photos of these people in that time period and attempt to stitch something together. Optimally it would be nice to find one of the child with eyes cast upward so that he or she was looking at the mother, just as she should be looking more at the child. I would also try to keep a hint of the rocking horse. Although it's an unusually unattractive one it helps provide focus. The whole thing looks doable to me.

I'm working on a portrait of a couple which is to be a surprise from their children. I have a number of photos with which I'm supposed to patch this masterpiece together but I'm enjoying the challenge. His head is taken from one photo, her body and dress from the same, her hair and approximate age from a second, her face from a third when she was much younger, and his shoulder from a photo I just took of my husband in a blazer because I didn't have a shoulder for him! Thank heavens for digital cameras. Possibly Chris would have declined the commission with those handicaps but the people are attractive and as Lon Haverly said elsewhere, in effect, I'd rather work than not. Go for it, Clive.

By the way, I love your work! I'm sure the finished painting will be lovely - much nicer than your references.

Just say no!
 

Clive, I completely agree with Chris.There is no way a painting done from this material is ever going to produce a good painting.

Do not ever change the eyes from your reference. That can make for some really creepy portraits.

Sincerely

I'll add my two cents and agree with Sharon and Chris. Better no commission than a bad painting out there with your name on it. I don't think any amount of painting skill could rescue this one.

Ooops, sorry about my post. Please disregard!

Thank you Sharon for being so honest! I really do appreciate it! I will never try to change eyes from now on! Your work speaks for itself! And I do appreciate your teachings so much! :D

Carolyn, I think your apology is unnecessary. Everyone has to experiment and see what works for him or her. Sharon and Michele may well be able to go through my portraits and find many errors so I am not attempting to speak from any level of expertise, but I have occasionally changed eyes from my reference photos and no one has ever seemed to find the resulting painting at all troubling. On the other hand I have sketched from life since I was a child and only went to photo references later in life when I began to do oils; this kind of apprenticeship is essential to understand anatomy and know what liberties can and cannot be taken with it.

I would not go so far as to echo John's vehemence because people need to find their own comfort levels and the other opinions were offered with sincerity and doubtless echoed their own truths, but certainly there is no one right answer. I find working with less than ideal reference photos to be a challenge because it forces me to be creative with my material, but it definitely is not to everyone's taste. I do agree with John about the lovely paintings that Clive has submitted thus far, which is another reason why I would be quite comfortable seeing him tackle this particular commission.

Thanks Leslie

I guess I am just trying to convey that I felt embarrassed after giving advice since others know SO MUCH more than me! I suppose that's why I don't post often! Thank you though for lifting my spirits! I hope to post something GREAT soon ;)!

Best Wishes to you!