Sight size study for Valentina
 

Inspired by Carl Samson's accomplished demo in San Francisco this past weekend (7/19), I made this study.

I placed the canvas close to the model and positioned myself about 8 feet from them. From that point I mixed the colors and made my decisions. Then I would walk to the canvas and place the mark without looking at the model (I looked at the model from the canvas when painting the fine features of the face).

I had heard that Sargent painted like that. It was an intimidating though until I saw it done. It took 6.5 hours and it was easier than I anticipated.

Thank you, Carl.

18" x 24" oil on canvas board.

Close-up

Excellent work, Deladier. But I'm not sure I understand the process of standing eight feet away, and not looking while painting. I always pictured sight size work being done while standing at the easel.

Can you expand on this process?

Hi, Jeff.

Carl Samson's head study this weekend serves well to describe the process. He wanted to paint the head at its actual size so he placed the canvas right next to it at about the middle of the head's depth. He had his palette at about 8 feet from that arrangement and from that point he would look at the canvas and the subject side by side. He then would approach the canvas, make a mark and walk back to the palette.

In my case I wanted the composition fit my 18" x 24" canvas, so I positioned the canvas at a point where, from a distance, I could see the model fit the canvas size. You need to look at it from afar to see the drawing clearly. Therein lies the tricky beauty of this deal. The sitter's mother got pictures of me painting. If I get one I'll post it.

Incidentally, I recently saw a thread in this forum dealing with the sight size method. I didn't read it in its entirety but I will.

Here is a moment in the painting. At this point I am standing a little closer to the canvas, working with a # 6 bright with a 30" handle.

Deladier and Jeff, this is what Bill Whitaker would refer to as the "dance" in his Arizona workshop.

It is also said that Sargent would walk miles everyday painting this way. It's really a great way to work. :thumbsup:

Jeff, the visual dynamic that

Sight Size
 

Thanks Steven for your clear explanation with illustrations. Tammy

Deladier,

I was interested in the kind of lighting that you use in your studio, is it something like a soft-box in photography ?

Greetings,
Peter

Thanks, Deladier for posting this most illuminating thread and photo. I'll try this out with a new still life I just set up in my studio.

By the way, that's a very impressive collection of shiny new brushes you have in the foreground!

Yes, Peter, what you see there is a soft box. I don't normally use it to light models whom I intend to paint from life. I usually use natural light and/or full spectrum fluorescent bulbs for that. In this case I wanted a very warm light on her so I used the soft box with a 250w bulb rated at 3200k.

Michele, give it a try. I found it to be a most rewarding experience and I am sure it will work great for still life painting. It wasn't as challenging as I had envisioned -- it actually made the work easier. BTW, those brushes are not so much new as they are well cared for. I take good care of mee brushes.

Good Student
 

Wonderfully learned lessons. I especially like the detail of this figure.

Site size is far easier since you are not changing scales. Artists don't do it because it's harder. However it isn't always practical. When doing larger compositions the artist would do a sight size drawing form a distant vantage point without moving his (her) position. The drawing would be then scaled up using a grid system. This is why you see so many preparatory drawings with a graph overlying it.

In addition to make it easier to visualize the developing composition and drawing, I found it empowering to trust my visual memory with carrying the information from the vantage point to the canvas.

While it would take a good deal more experience than I possess to pull off a finished portrait entirely by this method, I intend to continue exploring it in various contexts.

I am currently working on a piece for which the reference material is entirely photographic. When I start painting, I will treat the photos as I would the model, placing them at a distance and reading the colors from afar.

Very perceptive observation, Del, and this is precisely the goal of so-called "memory exercises", which are almost unheard of outside intensive regimens -- though I believe they've been mentioned on the Forum ("Steven, please use the 'Search Engine' feature").

But all work from life or physical reference is memory work, to some extent. You have to look away from your subject even if for a second to draw or paint what you "remember having seen". It's not that different from deliberately memorizing lists or passages to help you memorize speeches or outlines.

This seems like a useful topic for a demo. I'll get "right on it". (Look for the demo in about some number of months or marriages.)