Portrait Artist Forum

Geez, what happened while I was away?

Rick,

Thank you for your kind comments.

Ilaria,

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When you paint edges from life what you should or should not blur just comes to your eyes as soon as you look for it. The way colours are interwoven, how one colour is found on both sides of an edge, these are things that will not appear in a photograph, you'll have to make them up.

I am really looking forward to seeing this for myself. Your post is very timely for me. I have been trying to speed up in working from photos (on my monitor) so that I will be able to paint from life. Yesterday I did my first alla prima portrait, and I think I am getting closer... Nice start on your portrait, I hope you'll post it when it's done.

Linda,

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This is also making me think that I am a terribly subjective painter - I'm looking for what I like best about a subject, and I'm emphasizing it, or else I'm tweaking the painting to make somehing even more beautiful in my own judgment. When you work from a photograph you have only the judgment of the photograph.

Isn't that called artistic license? That's where the fun is. When you get to interpret the subject how you like. When I look at my photographs, I usually see one small thing here or there I'd like to change, but can't. With the model there, it would be much, much easier.

Mike,

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I would not presume to denigrate painting from life. I just think each should be celebrated for the good they offer. I do get slightly agitated when only the worst of photography is held up as the only comparative.

I agree, they're invaluable. How many portrait painters today paint solely from life? People don't have time. And the information one can get from the higher res. cameras today is amazing. What I'm looking forward to seeing in life is what Ilaria brought up, edges and little color nuances. Those things always take much fudging when working from photos.

Thank you Cynthia.

Marvin,

As you know de Laszlo engaged his sitter's in conversation the whole time he was painting them, in order to feel them out, judge their character. He made them comfortable, and was said to always make a friend, whereas Sargent was said to have made enemies (that's neither here nor there, I just thought it was interesting).

I agree with you that it's important to try and capture the sitter's spirit, and their eyes, as it's said that they are the window to a person's soul. I agree too, that with a photograph it can all to easily become more about getting those features exactly in line with the photograph, than about capturing the person's spirit. Of course correct drawing is paramount to creating the person on canvas in the first place.