Taline WIP

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

Hi, Barbara. I think that's made a difference, don't you? Her mouth on our right still needs to go down a little more, though, as do the outer corners of the eyes, and the iris needs to extend slightly higher on both eyes, as does the white area closest to the nose on our right, with a little less of a fold showing above it. Also try reducing the contrast on the eyelashes and softening the whiteness of the teeth and see how that looks. There is more shadow on the teeth on either side of the mouth, which helps create the sense of the mouth's curvature. Her lower lip is also fuller on the left, as it goes toward the corner, than you've made it.

You might put a touch more reflected light on the side of her face, on our left, to show the modeling of the head. It looks like her hair at the temple on our left comes in further above her eyebrow, too, which will make her face look a bit narrower and render the shape of the head better.

The shoulder looks much better now and the color of the flesh is much more lifelike in this picture of the painting. I really like the way you've done the skin tones and the hair, and that little hand is very nice.

[Michele Rushworth]

Trying to change the weight that is apparent in a subject's face is a sure way to run into major problems with likeness. You should talk to the client and paint the child the way she is.

There are many lighting techniques that can be used to make a full-faced subject appear slimmer, but with this reference photo, what you see is what you get.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Michele,

Are there a couple of basic techniques to make a full-faced subject appear a little slimmer? Or is it the kind of thing that will take lots of experience, etc. . .

Any hints would be very much appreciated. In my last batch of photos of a 19-year old, she was concerned about looking 'fat'.

Thank you!

Barbara, I think in the instance of the cute little girl in your portrait, it must be the mom who is feeling the child is chubby, I think she's darling. Young children are supposed to have baby fat!

Joan

[Michele Rushworth]

The various lighting techniques are a bit hard to explain in writing without images. Generally, to make a face look slimmer you want the lighting set up so that the side of the nose facing the camera (in a 3/4 shot) is in shadow. Frontal, symmetrical poses and frontal flat lighting can make faces look fatter.

I highly recommend checking out a couple of portrait photography books from the library or ordering some of the ones recommended in Cynthia's book list on this site. Unless an artist has the luxury of working only from life, mastering portrait photography (and especially lighting) is essential, in my opinion.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Thank you Michele!

Joan

[Barbara Mae Hudson]

Thank you Leslie, Michele and Joan.

Leslie. As you will see in the new image I have taken note of all your advice and worked more on Taline, I was a little nervous about putting too much reflected light on the side of her face and under her chin because I didn't want to overemphasise her puppy fat too much. Thank you for pointing out the error in her hairline, I really had not noticed that at all and I think that it has made quite a difference as to the fullness of her face.

I have come to now realise that most of the problems that I had were because of my trying to 'slim' her down, it doesn't work and I learned the hard way. I was so intent on carrying out the parent's wishes to slim her down that I completely overlooked some of the differences that were staring me in the face!

Thank you everybody for looking and helping me out on what has proved to be quite a difficult portrait. I will never agree to make major adjustments to photographs again, if you consider what I am charging for it , which is peanuts by the way, I have worked for way below the UK National minimum wage

Take care.

Barbara