Commission-WIP

Barbara Mae Hudson · 05-01-2004, 10:28 AM

Hello everybody!

This is a new commission that I am near (hopefully) to completing.

The photo that the parents gave to me is still in a frame and they don't want me to take it out of the frame, this made it difficult for me to scan or photograph to enable me to send the photo to you so please forgive the low quality photo.

I feel that the girl's face looks very posed, both in the photo and the painting, whereas the boy in contrast looks very relaxed, both facially and in his pose. I don't think that I will be able to do anything about that one because the photo is a year old now and any photo's that I may take would be obvious to the parents if I used them. Children's faces change so much in a year.

The other problem that I have is that the boy's jumper could keep me busy for the next few days if I went into detail. It is very sketchy at the moment, with a lot of the underpainting showing through. I quite like it at this stage and I feel that just a little 'tidying up' would be sufficient and I should leave it quite loose.

I would be very grateful for any advice/comments on how I might improve it .

Barbara

Linda Brandon · 05-11-2004, 06:21 PM

Hello Barbara,

I apologize for the long delay in posting a reply to your request for a critique. The problem you have is in your resource photo, in my opinion. It is very obviously a staged studio photo, with studio photographer lighting and posing. These things are not condusive to what a portrait painter wants and needs. What you need, for your purposes, in a photo is some way to indicate form and volume so that you can make the head come alive; otherwise, no matter how well you do it, it will just look like you traced and painted the photo. There are many ways to manage this kind of lighting and you should read all the materials on the Forum about lighting and photographing your subject.

I wouldn't be deterred from the fact that the children are older and have changed. If you take the photo yourself you will have much more control over the entire process, as well as get to meet them and incorporate their personalities into your interpretation.

I hope I haven't been too discouraging. Just about everybody who posts here has been given a photo like this one (or, believe me, much worse) and has been asked to come up with something.

Barbara Mae Hudson · 05-12-2004, 01:00 AM

Dear Linda,

Thank you so much for getting back to me. This has been a real challenge! I instantly disliked the pose of the girl in the photograph but loved the boy! Given that, I decided to give it a try.

I also took lots of extra reference shots to help me but the age gap was obvious, so consequently they weren't much help.

The painting is now propped up in my studio where I am 'living with it' and hoping that inspiration may come one day, however, I agree with what you've said, and the typical studio pose is what the biggest problem is, in addition to this, I don't think he was a particularly good photographer because the lighting is obviously in the front.

I have worked on it a little more and tweaked in a few areas, I think that it is nearly the best that is possible given the resourse photograph.

No Linda, you haven't discouraged me at all, you have really just confirmed what I already thought.

Thank you for taking the time to look and comment, it is much appreciated.

Barbara

Geary Wootten · 05-12-2004, 03:38 AM

Barbara Mae,

I believe you had a definite challenge with this using the one and only reference photo. To make it "painterly" could pretty much be impossible. However, you pulled it off BEAUTIFULLY!

You made a staged, corny, otherwise "boring" studio photo.... look great. In fact, I think your interpretation of their personalities look more interesting than what was staged in the photo reference. I also admire how you've totally invigorated the colors and gave this picture real life.

Geary

Patti Del Checcolo · 05-12-2004, 08:05 AM

Barbara - I agree with Geary...I think you pulled it off great! I love the boy's shirt and the way you pulled all the colors into the background and foreground.

Barbara Mae Hudson · 05-13-2004, 10:50 AM

Dear Patti,

Thank you so much.

Yes, I do believe that I've done all that I can do given the poor reference photograph. I can now put it to bed (so to speak), and start something that hopefully doesn't give me as many headaches as this one has.

Thank you once again for looking and commenting.

Take Care,

Barbara

Barbara Mae Hudson · 05-13-2004, 10:48 AM

Dear Geary,

Thank you so much.

Yes, I do believe that I've done all that I can do given the poor reference photograph. I can now put it to bed (so to speak), and start something that hopefully doesn't give me as many headaches as this one has.

Thank you once again for looking and commenting.

Take Care,

Barbara

Barbara Mae Hudson · 05-16-2004, 08:35 AM

Hello all!

I really don't know what has happened to two of the posts?? I know that there was a post from Leslie Ficcaglia because I printed her post out. Now it doesn't appear in the posts at all! Also in the forum it displays that Joan Breckwoldt has posted, and it isn't there either?? Can anybody help me on this one? I really would like to see what Joan has to say.

Anyway, it has been back on the easel and I have followed up on all of the advice that I have been given...........here is how it looks now, I know that it is still far from perfect, but considering the source photo it maybe the best that I can come up with.

My sincere thanks to everyone for helping me out on this difficult portrait.

Barbara

Leslie Ficcaglia · 05-16-2004, 09:03 AM

Barbara, my original post is right there on the first page; I guess the entire thread doesn't get quoted on the reply-to-topic page, though.

Anyway, I think you've done a great job. The issue with the shoulder is much improved and her face is softer with a more appealing smile now. Congratulations!

Let us know how the clients like it, but in my experience they're not nearly as picky as we are.

Leslie

Garth Herrick · 05-16-2004, 11:08 AM

Hi Barbara,

I can see you have done quite a lot on this painting and it does look much better. I don't like your new brown background which is effectively competing as a foreground against your portrait subjects. The background brown is more strident and chromatically intense than any brown in either of the two kids. For example, the boy's brown stripe shirt should not appear to recede behind the background. I would kill the intensity of this brown with a velatura like I have described in the thread on my painting Apotheoun (page 4) http://forum.portraitartist.com/showthread.php?t=4136. It does not need to be much, a little goes a long way. You just want the background to be more atmospheric in perspective. It can be brown, but it has to be a quality of brown that relates well to everything else.

Hope this helps,

Garth