Portrait Artist Forum - View Single Post - Painting from a Monitor instead of a Print

Allan Rahbek · 09-06-2004, 04:55 PM

Hi Michael,
I have been using this method to do my latest 4-5 portraits.

I placed the labtop by the side of the easel about the same hight as the painting. It works fine, almost as looking at a live model.

But the value range is much wider than what can be achieved on a 2D canvas, because you look at real light, in the monitor, and not a reflection of light from a photo.

I mean , that you can actually paint the values that you see on a flat photo, but not all the values from a monitor !!!!

Also it is not possible to compare values , say on a colorcard, to the values on the monitor, by holding the card up in front of it. Even a white card will look almost black. You have to decide the relative value by pure vision.

Or do you have a solution on that problem?

Allan

09-06-2004, 04:55 PM	#4
Allan Rahbek Juried Member Joined: Mar 2004 Location: 8543-dk Hornslet, Denmark Posts: 1,642	Hi Michael, I have been using this method to do my latest 4-5 portraits. I placed the labtop by the side of the easel about the same hight as the painting. It works fine, almost as looking at a live model. But the value range is much wider than what can be achieved on a 2D canvas, because you look at real light, in the monitor, and not a reflection of light from a photo. I mean , that you can actually paint the values that you see on a flat photo, but not all the values from a monitor !!!! Also it is not possible to compare values , say on a colorcard, to the values on the monitor, by holding the card up in front of it. Even a white card will look almost black. You have to decide the relative value by pure vision. Or do you have a solution on that problem? Allan