Francesca Underpainting

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hi!

Here is Francesca, a lovely, chatty girl from Parma (Italy), one of our neighbours in the camp at Pisa(a very lovely city!)

Underpainting made with Terra Erculano (like B.Sienna with a touch orange)like a Sinopia.
and Tit.White. Dimensions: 40 x 30 cm, linen on wood.

For me a very difficult part: smile, teeth. I'm still fighting with the likeness. Shirt will be changed to a monochrome, silky fabric for practice (maybe red or so).

I plan a dark background and another skintone as on the not really good reference photo. Recently saw a warm skin version, made by Tim Tylor, that

[Leslie Bohoss]

And the reference photo:

Many thanx!Leslie.

[Lara Cannon]

Hi,

I just took a look at your painting there are a few structural problems that I notice.

The first problem that struck me was her jaw line. I find the jaw line to be crucial in a portrait. It is amazing what a slight adjustment to the jaw can do to a likeness. You might spend some time looking back and forth from the image to your painting. Her left cheek seems to extend too low.

Another structural problem is in her forehead. It seems wide to me. Before I ever move into details like the eyes and mouth I make sure the shape of head and jaw are accurate. I think it was Sargent who said that features are but dots on the apple (something like that anyway?) I keep that in mind when I work. Don't move past the basic shapes until you have them carefully laid out. The details like eyes, nose and mouth will fall into place was you have the jaw and shape of the head correct.

Her nose is a bit pinched at the end too. Keep on going. She is a lovely girl and an underpainting is the best place to make changes.

I hope that helps,
Lara Cannon

[John Zeissig]

Hello Leslie,

I wrote this before I saw Lara's post, but most of it is in agreement with what she's said, it just makes some of what she said more explicit.

I think you have a drawing problem you can correct in this underpainting stage. I've done a digital manipulation in which I equated the photo and the painting in size, and then superimposed the salient features traced from the photo onto the painting. With the hairline and the girl's left eye in register, everything else is a bit off. I've traced the same features in green on the painting to emphasize the differences. The girl's head has a slight tilt to our right in the photo, but you appear to have drawn most of the features nearly horizontal, or even, as in the case of the nose, with an opposite tilt. Also there are some large excursions outside the jawline relative to what's in the photo. I hope this helps.

John

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hello!

Many thanks for your effort and tips, Lara and John! Very nice! I see your points. Ohhh, is that a long way to be good.

I do so much on details, although the whole impression is the first. I didn't really do a pre-sketch, only outlines not to move out of canvas and directly painting on (inside-out) for eyes/brain-training.

OK, this weekend I will try to repair the problematic features, what John's digitally remastered version pointed out.

Painting is more complex then I imagined before (the Bob Ross effect=26 min.)

Thank you again to get time for me.

Ciao.