Father's Day portrait

[Garth Herrick]

Hi Sandra,

I quite agree with both Michele's and Chris' excellent advice. Your biggest limitation here is the quality of your photographic reference. I have no doubt you copied it well; your drawing is very plausible. I am not sure how or why you would take this painting any further than it is already; it is a step on the learning curve of painting. The worst problem with these standard flash photographs is they completely flatten and nullify any semblance of form. Look at your daughter's garment: it is completely flat like a flattened wrinkled sheet of aluminum foil, and only the outline edges serve to indicate the forms our viewing eyes must reconstruct. Unfortunately, we are beholden to the lighting provided by the photograph, whereever it is, because unlike life, we cannot walk around the subject, or see it in stereo-3-D with both eyes. So in keeping with Michele and Chris, it is supremely important to start with the best possible prepared photographs when used for references, and not just take them literally, but observe from life, too.

Catch as catch can, by all means do more photographs and studies of your father and daughter as a group. There is no doubt you will arrive with emotionally compelling material, as you have here. As a baby, there is not much choice other than photo references for painting your daughter, but add to the photo references, your firsthand observation of delecate and vibrant color relationships only your eye and memory can furnish. The camera won't!

I work from photos all the time; complaining all the time about their limitations as well! The most important thing for me is to accompany photo refernces with live sittings and observations whenever possible. If my subject is not available, then I will observe similar individuals and lighting situations out and about on the street, and mentally sketch this information into my brain as a backup reference resource of experience. Always scavenge for useful tidbits of information with your eyes, that can augment the inevitable untruths in the camera's eye.

I take it you are striving for realism, as your portrait is real as your photo. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with being poetic with the flat lighting The historic Gustav Klimt might well have relished your flash photo toward his aesthetic ends. He could greatly design with edges of flattened forms, and that is part of artistic licence.

Best,

Garth