How do you paint chains?

[Enzie Shahmiri]

I am working on a figurative piece that involves a head dress with lots of gold chains. The larger pieces are not a problem, but I have hit a roadblock with the small chains in the medallion featured here.

My aim is to be as true to the image of this piece as possible and I want to show each link! Since the area is so small I need to know if it would be better to darken the area with the darkest value and then scratch into it or to keep it in the lightest value and go for the dark shapes. Or maybe there is another solution?!

Thanks for your help.

For those interested the entire image look here:
http://world-market-portraits.blogspot.com/

[Richard Bingham]

Lead white and copal yields a mix that can be controlled between very stiff to "ropey" like warm mozzarella. "Sculpting" this kind of detail as a built-up area, then glazing dark tones into it when dry is one approach that will yield a more convincing "3-D" effect than sgraffito (scratching lights out of a dark over-painting).

Take a look at Rembrandt's "Saskia as Bellona" and "Man in Armor" for his handling of detail encrustations on the armor.

A matter of taste, and certainly of the patience and skill of the painter to "embroider" jewelry in full detail, but I'd think it better to imply the detail in careful accent than to rebuild the piece with paint!

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Thank you Richard for taking the time to respond.

I have to try this technique sometime. In the meantime it will be interesting to hear the different type of approaches that have worked for others.

[Enzie Shahmiri]

After trying varies ways to make sense of the jumble of links on the medallion, I decided to keep the mid brown underpainting and to use a method similar to erasing out.

For this purpose I have used a very old mini brush (almost worn down to the ferule), which I dipped into solvent and basically scratched out the lightest links. Then using my pen again, I reemphasized the darks.

Taking into consideration that this is the underpainting, there is no fear of compromising the surface quality. This technique worked nicely and the chains have taken form given me a little road map for the successive paint layers.

[Lisa Gloria]

I don't know if this suggestion will be entirely helpful, but when painting jewelry, often I've found that the level of detail and inherent wide value range can create a focal point in your painting where you didn't intend one. So, I try to make it very soft.

The method I like to use is to model the jewelry in a narrower value range, leaving out one or two steps of both the darkest and lightest values. Then paint back in wet with the darkest values so the edges will be super soft, leaving lights and catch lights for last. I like the ropy cremnitz white too, but last time I used flake and a little stand oil, and worked the highlights in tiny adjacent dots. (Thank you, Jan Vermeer!)

[Enzie Shahmiri]

Thank you Lisa for your response. I love to hear how people tackle things differently. There are always new ways to be learned and mental notes to be taken what to watch out for to avoid the little pitfalls.

wide value range can create a focal point in your painting where you didn't intend one.

You are absolutely right, but in this figurative piece it's really all about the head dress and the theme of "water".

My model is actually the designer of this piece. She designs costumes and writes about tribal costuming for a magazine in the
U. K. This head dress was featured in her recent article and it is one of a series about the four elements.

I find your suggestions very helpful and I will keep them in mind once I start work in the color layers.

Here is a nice painting of jewelery by Luis Falero "An Oriental Beauty"

[Enzie Shahmiri]

I have been doing a lot of reworking on "Blue Tribe". I got rid of the heavy necklace and substituted it with a lighter one. The chains are completed and only need a few touch ups.

For close-ups of the jewelery and some additional information
Click here:

[Enzie Shahmiri]

To paint brass objects, there are various way of color choices. For example, you could use Burnt Umber and Cadmium Yellow Light to get the main color of the object. For the shadows a bit of Alizarin Crimson and Black will do the trick. Highlights could be achieved with Cadmium Yellow light and White.

Added July 6th

Since I try to limit my use of Cadmiums, I get the same colors by mixing Raw Umber and Yellow Ochre Light into various values. White is added for the lightest values of that yellow string. Highlights are done in the lightest Yellow value plus White.

To get the shadows richer I add Alizarin Crimson, it is a transparent hue and rather than alternating the color, just adds a nice glow when used as a wash over the Umber.

Remember to have lost and found edges. The lost edges are created by values that are extremly close to each other.

To add a sense of turning of the armband watch how the light will change direction and how things become more muted (add grey to desaturate) and with less definition (no sharp lines/blend) as they turn into the shadows.

For larger views click on the images in my blog. Details of the ring and necklace can also be found there.

[Enzie Shahmiri]

I have to apologize to those following the progress of how to paint chains/jewelery. On a recent visit to my daughter's in San Fransisco, I had another encounter with a very stubborn kidney stone that landed me in the hospital. Needless to say, the "Blue Tribe" painting did not get touched and therefore there has been this laps in postings.

This is as far as I got....