First of three.

[Allan Rahbek]

Thank you Sharon,

I know that I probably have a false idea about keeping the colors light and strong. This must be a bad habit from painting watercolors, but will of cause not be any excuse in portraiture.

I admire high contrasting portraits, but find it hard to do. This is something I must practice.

I am working on the third portrait of Camilla, in higher contrast, so ma by I can come over that limitation.

Thank for your frank critique, I really appreciate it.

Allan

[Sharon Knettell]

Allan,

Somewhere in portrait hell there is someone who will shoot me for telling you this. It will help you with learning values.

Take a piece of transparent plastic. Place it over a good color print of Camilla. Mix the tones to match the values right on the photograph itself. I will help you quickly learn values. It helped me because I was also afraid of making skin-tones too dark. Mine were always so pasty.

There is a downside to this. Depending on it to much will result in photographic color and not developing your eye. It is a good jump start however on judging values. That is why I always recommend doing studies if not the whole thing from life.

Good luck!

[Allan Rahbek]

Sharon

I will try that.

My printer is not very good so I did the paintings by printing out a gray scale photo to measure from, and looked at the monitor for the colors. It is placed on a chair just above the palette. I have build a box around the lap top so that I can see the screen even when the sun shines in the room through the skylight window, facing west, or the lamp is on in the evening/night.

Probably it would be easier with a real photo.

Allan

[Allan Rahbek]

I have been softening the shadows, actually I have almost repainted the face.

Allan

[Terri Ficenec]

Hi Allan! I like this version much better, it's more true to her.

[Sharon Knettell]

Much better, Allan. Softer and richer.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Hi Allan,

Wow, this is just beautiful. And you have captured her likeness so well. This portrait seems to have a lot of feeling. And I think your background and flowers you have painted are actually prettier than the greenery in the photographs.

Joan