Commission-WIP

[Garth Herrick]

Barbara, I just expanded my explaination of a velatura, after I noticed you were already looking at it (just a couple of more sentences to help clarify things).

[Henry Wienhold]

Barbara the dark background is a good improvement and the shoulder is not as obvious as before. To me the whole composition looks more unified and complete. I think you've done a good job with the improvements that you have made here, but I have to agree with Garth. You might want to add some light into your background in places making it a little less solid in appearance creating a more atmospheric look to the composition, but keep it darker in value by that shoulder area, Good job!

Henry

[Barbara Mae Hudson]

Dear Henry,

Yes Henry, you are right and I will make the changes in the next few days. I haven't looked into 'Velatura' yet, but intend to.

Thank you very much for looking and your advice, it is much appreciated.

Take care,

Barbara.

[Garth Herrick]

Barbara, I was too lazy before to copy the text from my Apotheoun thread, but now I have. This was from reply number 31, on page 4. http://forum.portraitartist.com/showthread.php?t=4136

Garth

velatura


Quote:
Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth
Garth, what's a "velatura"? And how would you say that was different from a glaze or a scumble? Thanks!

Hi Michele:

My understanding of a velatura or my understanding of a scumble may vary from others in this forum, because I have seen a number of posts that seem to lump the two together as the same technique. I do not have an art dictionary in front of me to back me up, but here is what I think I was taught at PAFA: We all know what a glaze is, usually a somewhat transparent thinned pigment in more medium overlaying a lighter underpainting layer. For me a velatura is treated the same way, except that it is a translucent lighter colored pigment suspended in medium over a darker underpainting layer. Velatura is equated as a "veil", putting an atmospheric haze over the painting. There will be a cooler color temperature shift, varying in degree according to how thick the veil is. One can think of it as the same effect as flakes of cereal in a bowl of milk; the brown flakes suddenly appear blueish as they dip below the milk.

Using only white in a velatura may make the painting more blue than you need. It is amazing to see how one can use a light orange tint (as an extreme warm example) over a darker brown, both being very warm colors, and acheive a sort of cool optical gray effect when covering the darkest values (actually, if the orange is intense enough it will effectively be a cooler chromatic yellow). If this veil is thicker, then it will be more orange than gray. Over white, of course this velatura would then be like an orange glaze. I am not really advocating the use of "orange" in a typical velatura. This is an extreme example, and there are a whole range of subtle possibilities in between. A velatura just may need to be formulated warmer than your target color you are looking for. If a painting becomes too dark and too warm, in its color effect (like mine sometimes do), or the contrast is too strong and jumpy (or too photographic), then a velatura may be the remedy.

For me a scumble can have a similar effect as a velatura, but I think of a scumble as a drier, more opaque consistency of paint being dragged over the texture of the canvas.

Hope this helps!
__________________
Garth Herrick

[Barbara Mae Hudson]

Dear Garth,

Thank you again for all your help on this. I visited your thread 'Tom at Eleven', and I can only say.............. WOW! Words are not enough, I love it.

I will now go and investigate into VELATURA, it's one that I've never heard of before.

Thanks again.

Take care,

Barbara