Head study

[Sandra Jackson]

Hello all. I'm working on my portfolio right now. The good news is that I'm improving. The bad news is that my works become steadily obsolete with each portrait I do. I'll paint anything I can get my hands on right now. I actually found this image in a magazine. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.
-Sandra Jackson

[Daniel Vipperman]

Hello -

I think you did a great job with this face. I love the eyes and the overall soft focus. The hairline looks very natural.

I am having some trouble acheiving the light skin tones and am curious what colors you used.

My wife and had a chance to visit Austin a couple of years ago, we both loved it. We attended a Quaker wedding - very nice.

Good luck,
Dan

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

Nicely done and very expressive, Sandra. The forms are well-executed. The color is odd, but I'm assuming that's due to your reference photo. But why are you using pictures from magazines? If you turn out a masterpiece that way you won't be able to display it because of copyright issues. What about recruiting family and friends as models instead?

[Chuck Yokota]

Hi Sandra,
Each feature is nicely and expressively rendered, and I like how you handled the very pale skin tone. What I am wondering about is the overall proportions of the head. The height to width ratio seems extreme, and the upper skull seems narrow in relation to the jaw width. This seems to make her eyes look close-set. You might check this against your reference.

[Sandra Jackson]

This painting is 8"x10". I used alizarin crimson, thalo red rose, cerulean blue, raw sienna, naples yellow, mars black, burnt sienna and titanium white. I just tried to be as honest as possible about the color I was actually seeing (it's easy to think you're seeing a darker, warmer, lighter color than you actually are). I tried to get the value right before I got too nitpicky about the hue.

Her eyes are too close together, aren't they. I suppose it is a good thing I practiced with a magazine reference. I am going to get some professional photos to use as references. I'll probably do some self-portraits, too. You're right, I shouldn't paint things I can't legally display. I appreciate all of your comment, too. I'll take all the advice I can get right now. I'm ready to start selling some work!

-Sandra Jackson

[Sharon Knettell]

Sandra,

You have a great deal of ability, but I think you are making mistakes that I made. Rushing into a "portfolio" and not learning the basics of the craft. I cannot tell you how much I had to unlearn.

If you want to be a portrait painter, you must learn first to be a painter.
That does not mean just copying photos, even though you see a lot of work being done that way on this forum.

Most of the pros here, and you will find this with the major successful
figurative artists in this country, learned from working from life and other basic classical training. They learned, form, color, design, art theory, etc. Many of them worked from casts before they even went on to draw from the figure.

There is no way you can understand the true beauty and variations of flesh tone of the figure unless you work directly with the figure.

Then, if you care to, you can go on to "interpret photos", with more knowledge.

Before you enter the very competetive arena of the professional artist, arm yourself with as much knowledge and skill as you can.

Try workshops, find an artist you like and study with him or her. Try ateliers, try extension courses or night school courses.

There are four first rate artists (that come quickly to mind) on the forum who give workshops. Bill Whittaker, Peggy Baumgartner, Marvin Mattelson and Chris Saper. Look up their work on the forum to see whose work seems to jibe with your own.

A good book to start with is, "How to Paint Living Portraits", by Roberta Carter Clark. Get some tapes by Daniel Greene, he also does workshops.

Bill Whittaker has a thread, I believe it is called "Profound Seeing". Look it up. It shows the classical process of working from a cast.

Classical techniques were all but lost in the 20th century. A few brave souls suffered and clung to them, benefitting this and future generations of artists.

Don't be so eager to sell, learn your craft first.

Sincerely,

[Sandra Jackson]

I'm humbled. And a bit embarrassed. I have a degree in studio art. Back to the ol' drawing board. Thank you.

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Sandra Jackson

I'm humbled. And a bit embarassed. I have a degree in studio art. Back to the ol' drawing board. Thank you.

Don't be. You have a great deal of ability or I would not have bothered to post. I was initially really bothered that someone who is so gifted would resort to using magazine photos for a portfolio or for any other reason. If you had any classical training I apologize. But I do think porfolio work should have at the very minimum work done from one's own photos. Better yet some done from life or a combination thereof.

I went to the Boston Museum School myself and did not learn much. I do not have a degree, something I now realize you have. Very little classic training was available when I was in art school. Many if not most of the instuctors in art schools do not have this knowledge. One I taught at, the Rhode Island School of Design, was last time I looked, clueless.

You have a unique and sensitive understanding of the human face. I would like someone of your obvious talent to get some more training and knowledge before you fling yourself out on the marketplace.

Take it from an old bird who's been there, it's brutal!

I am very sure you will have a long and successful career ahead of you.

Sincerely,

[Sandra Jackson]

Thank you so much, Sharon. If there's anything I learned in college, it was that no teacher or higher education can MAKE you a better artist. It's up to you to learn through experience. I became full-time single mommy right out of college, so I have recently blown the dust off my Grumbachers. The single mom gig is the main reason for my haste to sell. I do not want to present my work prematurely, though. That would be a huge mistake (first impressions being so important, and all). Thank you for taking the time to respond, too. I hope I didn't sound ungrateful (it's hard to relay emotion via text). I took a look at your site, and I love your work. That is the kind of polish I hope to one day achieve.

Sincerely,
Sandra Jackson

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Sandra Jackson

Thank you so much, Sharon. If there's anything I learned in college, it was that no teacher or higher education can MAKE you a better artist. It's up to you to learn through experience. I became full-time single mommy right out of college, so I have recently blown the dust off my Grumbachers. The single mom gig is the main reason for my haste to sell. I do not want to present my work prematurely, though. That would be a huge mistake (first impressions being so important, and all). Thank you for taking the time to respond, too. I hope I didn't sound ungrateful (it's hard to relay emotion via text). I took a look at your site, and I love your work. That is the kind of polish I hope to one day achieve.

Sincerely,
Sandra Jackson

When I first started out, there was no internet, no guideposts, nowhere to get knowledge and feedback. I did not know ateliers existed or that talented trained artist were giving classes or workshops.

My school was and still is in the full throes of abstract expressionism.

I did not realize that there were any figurative artists alive, except maybe the Francis Bacon genre. I thought to do fine art you had better have a very ugly bag of tricks.

I don't know wether or not you had classical figurative training in your art school, many today to my knowledge do not.

I know very few artists who have not had financial difficulty from the getgo and continue to struggle well into middle age and beyond. Even gifted ones.

The portrait field is so overcrowded today. You have to be exceptional, well trained, confidant and lucky to make a living.

Get your ducks lined up. Develop a point of view that is undeniably yours. Learn as much as you can. Try to do as much from life as you can even if it means dragooning family and friend to pose just to practice heads. Spring for a workshop or two with someone you admire. Ask artists here on the forum for feedback on the workshops they have attended. Timothy Mensching went to Marvin Mattelsons, Beth Schott to Bill Whittakers, Chris Saper to Daniel Greenes. I believe they all reported they got a lot of bang for the buck.

Good luck!