Portrait of Jake

Rebecca Willoughby · 12-19-2002, 02:15 AM

I just delivered this portrait of Jake. It is prisma pencil on buff colored Stonehenge printmaking paper. The size is 11" x 14". This scan is not as soft as the original but it captures his sweetness.

Rebecca

Josef Sy · 12-19-2002, 08:23 AM

Rebecca,

Very lovely and well executed. Did you have a photograph as a reference?

Peggy Baumgaertner · 12-19-2002, 11:25 AM

Rebecca,

Very nice! Very sensitive work.

Peggy

Nathan Cremer · 12-19-2002, 12:06 PM

This is a great piece. I especially love how you've handled the colored pencil. What a nice soft effect. The wood grain was done well, and I like how it fades to black.

Great Job!

Rebecca Willoughby · 12-21-2002, 05:13 PM

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I did have a reference photo to use. I used this commission as a demonstration for one of my colored pencil workshops. It took me 14 hours to complete. I hope that the photos of this painting show the softness better than this scan does. The grandmother commissioned it for her daughter. Her other daughter had doubts that it would make it to Jake's house. At last word it was hanging on the grandmother's wall!

Happy Painting!
Rebecca

Jean Kelly · 12-22-2002, 08:03 PM

Rebecca, I love the softness and simplicity of this portrait. How many colors are actually in it? It looks like a very limited range.

Jean

Rebecca Willoughby · 12-23-2002, 08:14 PM

Well actually in this case looks are deceiving. Just his little face has nine different colors on the flesh. His eyes and mouth added in there are about 16. With very light washes, the color is built up from lightest to darkest. There are about six colors in the wood. I would say that I used about 30 colors in the whole painting. The secret to being able to use that many colors is the paper. Stonehenge is a very rugged paper and allows you to keep layering and layering. It takes several colors to create soft skin tones in colored pencil. I am currently completing a 24" x 30" painting in colored pencil with a more elaborate background. It will end up with around 50 to 60 colors.

Rebecca

Rochelle Brown · 04-09-2003, 09:18 PM

Rebecca,

You are very good at pencil work and at representing children. Is most of your work in pencil? In the past I've used pencils but find myself very comfortable with pen and ink.

Enzie Shahmiri · 04-10-2003, 02:34 AM

Rebecca,

What a wonderful soft piece, it is hard to believe that 30 colors went into creating such harmony. I am interested to know how you have achieved the sunlight (our right side) on his face, since it just seems to glow.

Rebecca Willoughby · 04-10-2003, 10:11 PM

Thank You Rochelle and Enzi. Most of the portrait work I do is in colored pencil. The softness and subtleness in the layers that you can achieve is really nice. I do a little pastel along with the colored pencils. It is important I think to state that I have personally tested every color and brand of pencil I use for color fastness. I know that they really get a bad rap especially it seems on this forum. Because of the improvements that the companies have made recently, the criticism is unwaranted. There are rogue colors and the secret is . . . don't use them. I have had a piece that I did 16 months ago in the window of a art store that I teach in for over a year. It receives sunlight about seven hours a day. It still looks just as bright as it always has. I have had to replace the mat which is suppose to be museum quality, acid free, etc. . .

Ok back down from the soap box. The highlight on the side of Jake's face is done by just leaving it alone! I used the colors around the highlight to make the highlight. The wispy hairs if you can see them, are done by impressing the paper with a stylus first and then when you apply the color, those lines will remain the color of the paper.

Rebecca