Hi Alexandra,
Usually these are people who frequent my neighborhood in Los Angeles and I've got to know them to one degree or another over months and even years. I know Ryan pretty well to chat with and we did talk a bit while I painted him (about 20-25 minutes max), but as is often the case he took posing very seriously. For the most part he held the smile, which didn't seem difficult or forced to me. He's a rather cheerful, talkative guy. I'd love to paint him with an open smile, because that's very "him," but I don't think I could get him to do it. I actually did work some on this when I got into the studio, basically pushing the darker values.
|