Next portrait

[Cindy Procious]

Steven, you can't be serious! Flip the photo?

At least you included a caveat that you're not recommending it (or not) - but as we all know from those cool experiments where you cut a photo of a face in half, and paste its mirror image next to it to get a completely different person, our faces are not symmetrical.

If you were to draw him as a mirror image, the only one who would see the portrait as correct would be Kris himself. Because you'd be drawing what HE sees in the mirror, not what everyone else sees.

Just my two cents.

[Steven Sweeney]

Yes, well, glossing over the asymmetry in the face would be at some odds with a tradition here of my gently pistol whipping people into not representing anatomy as presumptively geometric and generic.

But in any event, the "mystery guest in the portrait" problem is not uncommon, being one that affects any self-portrait based on a single-mirror set-up. The hair is parted on the wrong side, the lazy left eye is on the right, the body jewelry plots an entirely different constellation. If there's an up side, perhaps it is that the artist finally has a representation that he thinks looks "right," instead of that backward image that has always shown up in photographs. (In 50 years I have never had a photographer show my "good" side, which is of course the one I favor in the mirror.)

As an aside, it was amusing to witness my instructor's attempts to critique my self-portrait in-progress. He couldn't just look at me for reference, because I was now flipped in life, and he couldn't practicably stand in exactly my spot and see me in the mirror as I was seeing myself. Life went on, and no animals were injured in the making of the picture.

I did think of mentioning the mirror-image factor, but didn't for several reasons clamoring for equal time, including that the Photoshop flip has as its sole purpose the reversal of the image so it didn't seem necessary to say so, I usually overstate things ad nauseam and thought this time to pass on the opportunity (perhaps an oversight, in retrospect), and I know from experience that most artists will make their own decisions and proceed accordingly despite advices otherwise (I know this because such advices are rarely evidenced in later stages, which of course is the artist's prerogative.)

But you're right, I gave the idea only a 1-1/2-star rating, not so much because of the mirror-image problem per se, but because I personally would not want to be painted into the corner of being unable to have the subject sit for me again if need be, an opportunity foregone for practical purposes by working from a photographic representation I could not re-create in real life. I would re-shoot the reference photo, but experience further tells me that there is most often resistance to this advice.

It's all just brainstorming. Not all synapses fire all the time.

[Cindy Procious]

(In 50 years I have never had a photographer show my "good" side, which is of course the one I favor in the mirror.)

But of course!

I usually overstate things ad nauseam

On the contrary, sir. Your posts are, in my opinion, the most informative, instructive, and thorough on the entire forum. You know it is human nature to proceed along the path one has set out for themselves, and in seeking opinions of others, to soundly agree with those opinions that parallel that same path.

Nevertheless, you go to extraordinary lengths to answer those pleas for help, regardless of whether your advice will be heeded.

Often we forget to thank those who matter to us - so I must thank you Steven, for all you add to this forum. When I see a post of yours, I settle in for a good read.

Even if you do throw out the occasional wacky advice.

[Patricia Joyce]

I did some sketching this weekend and realized I would have a hard time doing Kris "flipped", everything looks too crooked!!

So, back to the drawing board. I looked through some earlier shots and found this one. The color is terrible because the lighting was a regular bulb.

I am not sure, I may have to go back and take more photos and that just means it will be awhile before I can begin this portrait because he is not home the next couple of weekends...

I do, apreciate your advice and all your comments, and comments on comments! It is a great volley of things for me to think about!!

[Mike McCarty]

If you are creating a black and white drawing why not just eliminate the color in the photograph?

[Patricia Joyce]

Thank you, Mike! This image looks better than the one I printed on my printer in black and white!

[Michele Rushworth]

In creating a drawing from this photo the only change I'd make would be to soften the edge of the cast shadow from his nose that falls onto the cheek on our right.