How do you get from photo to canvas?

[Sharon Knettell]

Hi,

I work both from life and photos.

I use the grid method for photos as I like to elongate my figures, especially the standing ones. I use an 8 head reference as opposed to a 7.5 head measurement.

I use the head length as my basic unit of measurement and create grids relating to that size. The head is one grid unit, the armpits two, the waist three, the crotch four, mid-thigh five, kneecap bottom six, mid-calf seven, weight-bearing heel eight. I extend the grid horizontally as well.

This way of measurement is usefull for standing figures from life as well. For figures that are seated, I use the sight-size method. I find photos really distort seated figures, even with good portrait lenses.

I do my initial drawing smaller than the painting I intend to do as I work rather large. I do an accurate outline of my study, and have what is known as a "shaco" made. It is a linear enlargement, it is what architechs use. It is not a blueprint, but a nice black and white outline on paper. They can print it on transparent vellum as well. I then trace this to my canvas or panel.

I hope this helps.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

"I use the grid method for photos as I like to elongate my figures, especially the standing ones."


Sharon, what do you mean by elongating the figure? Do you mean the height proportion is exaggerated? Hmm, this is an interesting if I understand your meaning correctly. Thank you for that bit of information.

Joan

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Joan Breckwoldt

"I use the grid method for photos as I like to elongate my figures, especially the standing ones."


Sharon, what do you mean by elongating the figure? Do you mean the height proportion is exaggerated? Hmm, this is an interesting if I understand your meaning correctly. Thank you for that bit of information.

Joan

Joan,

I have actually addressed these proportions on another thread and being computer illiterate, it would be hard for me to find them.

If you measure the Sargent standing figures you will find that these proportons apply in most of them. They give a figure a more "elance" and elegant look. Great for slimming down subtly those of us who are a bit zaftig.

These are proportions used frequently in classic painting and sculpture. Sometimes regular proportions can make even a slim figure look squat in a painting or a picture, that is why they hire all those really skinny tall models!

The proportions are as follows:

Head one: the head, the neck is 1/3 the head length
Head two: to the armpits
Head three: to the waist
Head four: to the crotch
Head five: to the mid-thigh
Head six: to the bottom of the kneecap
Head seven: to mid-calf
Head eight: to the bottom of the weight bearing leg

Try it!

[Jean Kelly]

Sharon,

When I was 13 years old, I was planning on becoming a fashion designer and illustrator. I found a book on fashion illustrating that suggested what you talk about here. So I drew and drew, all my figures and designs were eight heads tall. When I got to college, my life drawing professor said, "Draw what you see, Jean! Is that model really that long???" Go figure.

Jean

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Jean Kelly

Sharon,

When I was 13 years old, I was planning on becoming a fashion designer and illustrator. I found a book on fashion illustrating that suggested what you talk about here. So I drew and drew, all my figures and designs were eight heads tall. When I got to college, my life drawing professor said, "Draw what you see, Jean! Is that model really that long???" Go figure.

Jean

Unfortunately as so many figurative artists have found, the instruction and knowledge of classic technique, in most art schools in the last two-thirds of the century was woefully inadequate. Most contemporary insructors are and were totally ignorant of them.

[Jean Kelly]

Yes Sharon, painting in particular. I learned the tecniques of building, stretching and sizing a canvas, then bought the required list of pigments and linseed oil, and just started painting. Nothing beyond that. Everything I've learned about paint has been here. I did learn how to draw what I saw though.

Jean

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Sharon,

Thank you for answering my question. I will try that. What an interesting concept, I'm glad to have that information, I don't know how I ever would have come across that without this forum.

Joan

[Morris Darby]

I would like to say that I use the grid method for initial proportion translation, however, I have an approach different from any I've seen here.

I use rubber bands on my photo and my canvas/board. The very first photo I used to do a portrait from, the client told me to guard it with my life. So, I placed it ( 8x10) on a clipboard and put rubber bands every 2 inches vert. and horiz. I then took larger rubber bands and put them on my canvas the same way, say at 5 inches apart. I then sketch into the squares.

Now, I will say the only time I use a "method" of scale transfer is when the reference is small and the painting is large. I still enjoy the fact that oils stay wet for a long time giving me time to make all the adjustments for the likeness.

[Meera Bakshi]

I have now started using newer technology to help transferring photo to canvas. Scan the photo and save on computer with a file name in "jpg" format. Using "Irfan view", I select that file and mark the area that is to be painted. Now from edit mode, select "crop the image" and than save as giving the file name again in "jpg" format. Print the newly saved image selecting margin (vertical and Horizontal 2.00 which leaves 1" margin on all four sides). It's easy to use that black and white image as a guide-line with square grid drawn with pencil. Image on the canvas can be multiplied as big as we need.
Meera Bakshi

[Richard Budig]

I finally put photoshop in my computer. I also bought a printer/scanner/copier. I can scan photos into my computer, bring them up in photoshop, crop them to make a reasonable composition, and then resize them to match the canvas size I plan to use.

For example, if I'm planning a 20X24 inch canvas, I can resize my image to 20X24 centimeters. Then, you can mark off a grid in centimeters, which will square up easily to 20X24 inches. Doesn't matter what the units are -- cm's or inches -- so long as they are all square.

Just some more thinking on this subject.

Finally, someone was talking like they were feeling guilty for measuring and for using other lens-type equipment in transfering to the canvas. I once had an instructor who used to say a couple of things: There is no cheating, and "MEASURE, MEASURE, MEASURE."

I add the measure thing because I've read the alleged words of many fine painters who said the same thing -- MEASURE. My goodness, we're painting human faces, here. It's okay, in a landscape, to move a tree or a rock a little this way or that way, but if you move the nose an inch two this way or that way, it ain't gonna look like uncle Fred. We simply have to be as precise as possible when we're doing faces.