Papa Ernie
 

Hello All,

I'm getting ready to start an oil portrait and need some guidance on my use of a photo reference. This was originally a Christmas gift for a family member, however I'm bogged down with several portrait commissions in the works for the holidays, so this one is pushed slightly out until after the holidays.

The photo is of my close friend's, practically brother's, grandfather. "Pop" was a lobsterman living on a tiny island off the coast of Maine and was adored by his family and friends. He was a hard worker and knew the water. He died 17 years ago, however he is still remembered and talked about fondly after all these years. I've done several pencil portraits of him and would like to do an oil in his honor.

The question I have is about Pop's right arm. Do I leave it in the painting, or take it out. It seems like a natural pose as he was on his lobsterboat when this photo was taken. Plus, it helps to tie the figure to the background. However, in some ways the arm looks forced. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

I think it would be a loss to omit the arm. The gesture seems to me keenly descriptive of character. It won't be a cinch to capture it "just so", but if you pay close attention to edges (such as all the lost edges of the sleeve against the background of light) and values (essential to tackling the foreshortening in the arm), I think it would be very effective. There's a "story" in that arm that seems to want to be told.

Plus something I didn't see earlier is the character of his hand. Shows that he was a hard worker and used his hands a lot.

Thanks Steven.

I would second what Steven said. The photographer rightly included the hand and made it an essential part of the overall composition. To omit the hand would require a repositioning of the subject in the frame which brings on even more questions.

I'll have to confess that I kind of saw my dad in this, and he was the hardest-working man I ever knew and I wouldn't even think having done a portrait of him without showing his hands.

In this photo, it even appears that the subject may have suffered from arthritis, as the finger joints appear swollen. I wouldn't make any attempt at all to hide or "soften" that effect. It contributes to the story.

Gene,

I like the idea of the arm and hand being part of the composition but had some difficulty with the photo reference. The forearm appears to bend or break. In other words, the point where elbow should be does not appear to line up with the wrist. The elbow, it would seem to me, should be higher to satisfy and explain why the forearm does not continue on its upward alignment. I have attached another option, which would foreshorten the arm and allow the hand to be a more prominent feature.