Daughter with a Pearl Earring - wip
 

Since I'm learning - and I am creatively stunted, I thought I would borrow a page from Vermeer.

So, what do you think - is this a gimmick or a valid portrait?

Nuts and bolts - it's 16" x 20" oil on gesso panel. Working from photos of my daughter (who posed willingly once I gave her a candy bar - would that all models were to be had so easily).

Her ears aren't pierced so I swiped Vermeer's pearl for the reference photo. I will glaze as soon as the grisaille is dry.

Thanks for looking.

I think it's a great idea. Maybe I'll try the same thing for the next portrait I do of my daughter. I look forward to watching your progress.

Hi Cindy,

The drawing is very nice and I think inserting your daughter's image into a very recognizable painting adds a fresh spin on an old classic.

As far as the modeling of the head, the biggest thing I've noticed is that you have light areas in the shadows (right cheek, jaw and especially the reflected light, ect) and dark areas in the light areas (shadow below the shoulder). Another thing that a lot of people do is to continue the lightest values to the edge of the head (left side). This flattens the image and the head does not appear to be solid. Using a value that is about 2 levels below the highest value on the forehead, cheek, and chin will help to turn the edge and give the head more weight. This is based on the 9 scale value system with 9 being the lightest value (but not white) and 1 being the darkest (but not black).

You've got a great start so far because your drawing is strong--and that's the hardest part!

I hope this helps,

Renee Price

Good Start
 

Cindy,

I agree with Renee's assesment. I don't always do a grisaille under painting, but when I do, I've been following Karin Well's method, which is similar to what Renee describes.

Yes, this is definitely a "valid portrait"! Your daughter is perfectly suited to this pose, and her expression is captivating.

For some examples of borrowing from Vermeer, check out Jonathan Janson's website:

http://newvermeers.20m.com/index.htm

If you're a Vermeer lover like me, you'll also want to look at Jonathan's Essential Vermeer site:

http://essentialvermeer.20m.com/

I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out.

Cheers

John

Just as an aside, there's a long and noble history of alluding to other artists' compositions and themes. Helen van Wyk even uses a Velasquez for her husband in one of her books.

You could do this again and again as she grows, wandering around art museums to pick this Rembrandt, that Ingres, etc etc.

Good luck.
Lisa

Thank you.
 

Thank you all for your responses.

Michelle - I've seen your work before, and your stuff is terrific. I absolutely love the little boy with curly blond hair and an ear-to-ear grin.

Renee - thanks for the compliments. I do know what you're talking about, but I don't know specifically how to put into practice what I can't see. In my reference, and with strong light from one side - I just can't make out the darker value that turns the form. I suppose this is where you're supposed to paint what you know, rather than what you see?

If I were to do what you suggest with regards to the left cheek - at what point does the 2 steps down in value grey stop and start? Is that what blends into the background to turn the form?

The reflected light on her right cheek did jump out at me, but I figured I'd fix that when I glazed it. I thought that if the lighter value wasn't apparent in the grisaille, I wouldn't see it at all in the glaze. Again, just learning this method. I attempted to attach the reference photo earlier, and it wouldn't work - I'll try again.

John - Thank you for the kind words. I actually spent most of my morning yesterday looking at the essential Vermeer site. Twas very informative and interesting. I love the modern-day twists in Janson's work!

Lisa - Thanks for the validation. I wasn't sure if what I was doing was a no-no...but, thanks for the idea for my new series! ;) Yay!

Hi Cindy,

I'm glad that my responses have helped some. I put together a quick example of what I was talking about. On the right side I added a line which separates the light from shadow. This isn't 'absolute' and I'm sure they can be separated several other ways, but this is the way that jumped out at me. Between the shadow and light are the halftones or medium tones. The halftones are the values the turn the form. I remember someone on the forum saying that the lightest values of the shadow side should be the darkest values on the light side (except for accents). That's something to keep in mind. I go by a 9 value scale with 9 the lightest and 1 the darkest. The edge on the left should be thin and soft. Hard edges around the form causes a 'cut and pasted' look. There are other members who have much more experience than I do, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Remember that the drawing is the hardest part, and you already have that!

I hope this helps,

Renee Price

Modifications
 

Hi Renee -

I've made the changes you suggested - and it does make a huge difference.

Thanks for the critiques.

Much better--the head looks more solid.

Keep up the great work!

Renee Price

Cindy

The likeness here is very good, but in the underpainting she seems to me to look slightly older than in the photo. I think this is partly because the edge of her forehead (on our left) in the underpainting drops nearly straight from where it emerges from under the scarf to where it curves out at the eyebrow. In the photo it has a more convex curve, characteristic of young children. Just a thought.

John