Randy in the studio, acrylic

[Bob Bissett]

This is 16x12" on a RayMar canvas panel with a thick coat of gesso applied with palette knife. I've known Randy since he was in high school about four years ago. This was done from memory and photo reference. He was home over the holidays on recruiting assignment. But mostly to spend time with our daughter also home from college. One day he showed up in uniform and I was struck by it's graphic quality. He agreed to pose and I dropped everything else to churn this out in the heat of inspiration.

Acrylics have the reputation of being hard to use for portraits. I think that's true if you try to force it to be oils instead of letting it be what it is. In this one I made no attempt to achieve a smooth skin effect as you can see from the close up. It can be done but you're fighting the medium.

Anyway, I'm hoping to learn viewers' split second, gut level reaction as well as comments about composition, values, color, etc. I am most interested in emotional content in my work, then visual concept and then subject.

[Bob Bissett]

A close up....

[Garth Herrick]

Hi Bob,

This painting sort of reminds me of the early period portrait Degas did of his brother (below) at the National Gallery of Art in DC. Something about the calm, yet stoic look.

I am greatly concerned about the skintones looking a bit too hot in your painting. Perhaps it's a bad monitor calibration or something, but if not, I would recommend significantly rethinking those colors in his face, and the hair seems like it could be less flatly represented as well. I'm seeing effects and artifacts from your digital reference image translated directly into paint, and maybe needing a little more thoughtful interpretation. If you are out and about, take a look at people you pass by, and take mental notes of how light falls on their faces, especially in the chroma of the highlights and level of information in the shadow masses. Don't necessarily be completely reliant upon photographs; they are always misleading to some extent! Just my two cents.

Garth

[Bob Bissett]

Thanks Garth...

You're right that is too red. I adjusted it closer to the painting which looks fine in that regard.