Learning, learning...

Katherine Annon · 10-20-2004, 11:38 AM

Hello, Everyone, and thanks in advance for your input. I haven't posted in some time, but I've devoured everything I've come across in the past few months re: portraiture; especially drawing. As a self-taught artist who barely gets by on her part-time art-instructor income, formal lessons aren't an option right now....ironically enough. So the going is slow...but my desire to become a fully-fledged portrait artist - no matter how long it takes - has steadily grown. Thank you again for such an invaluable resource.

Source photography is something that I'm working with. It's still quite a challenge. Mine has improved, thanks to this forum and a couple of books. It still has a way to go, though.

Having said that, here's my latest portrait. This is "Babette", a fellow artist...

Sharon Knettell · 10-20-2004, 09:45 PM

Katherine,

There are a lot of people who are self-taught, especially in representational and figurative art, including myself. I did attend the Boston Museum School, but like so many large art institutions of the recent past and as well as most of the current ones, attention to serious drawing has been woefully neglected.

Your approach seems to be all linear and neglects the volume, tones and masses that are important to portraiture.

I suggest you purchase Harold Speed's book on "The Practice and Science of Drawing", about $12, it can be found online, maybe on this site.

You should practice on white plaster casts at the beginning to get the feel of drawing from something that has actual volume. I think it is a bad habit to start your portrait career if you are really serious, drawing from photos. You should try to enlist your friends and family to sit for you.

Another good book is by Roberta Carter Clark, "How to Paint Living Portraits". There are a million books out there, but I have not come across any other books that are better for a beginner.

Harold Speed has another excellent book on painting portraits as well.

Try to take at least one workshop in the future with someone you admire. There are quite a few capable artists on this site who offer workshops.

Many posters have come a long way since joining the Forum.

I hope this helps.

Marcus Lim · 10-20-2004, 10:12 PM

Hi, I'm also a self-taught artist who later became an apprentice to an oil painter here in Singapore.

I agree with Sharon and would go for her suggestions because they did help me build a strong foundation for my paintings. For what it's worth, I'm impressed with the accuracy of the features you did, and that's a wonderful start. I'd be encouraged to work on issues like tones and values, just to give it a 3D feel.

I can't remember which thread it was, but there is a demo of a portrait of a fireman here in the Forum, which exactly has tips that could help you work on your portraitures.

Hope this helps you out.

Katherine Annon · 10-20-2004, 10:23 PM

Sharon, thank you for the advice. It's just the sort of thing I need to hear. I have been practicing a great deal, but with just that - line. I can feel and see the lack of volume, tone, and mass, but I haven't been sure how to grasp it. Line I feel comfortable with. I think it's always been my strong suit. But I've been at a loss with the other elements, and unsure of how to begin working with them...thus the extremely tenative approach you might be able to make out on the portrait I posted.

You can't see all of what I've done tone-wise due to the image quality, but I know that it's not what I'm trying to achieve, and I adamantly want to avoid anything in a "fudge mode", i.e. faking it. I want to know what I'm doing before I attempt it. Time to start drawing...

I'll put the book on my must-buy-next list. Don't have any plaster casts, though. Are there any decent substitutes I could look for around the house?

Katherine Annon · 10-20-2004, 10:30 PM

Thank you, Marcus. Looks like you posted right as I replied to Sharon's post. Your encouragement is a wonderful boon...and I'll look up that fireman exercise within the next day or so, when I have time to sit down and get to work in earnest.

I submitted a portrait some months ago entitled "Lily", that actually seems more in line with what I'm shooting for as far as the things I need to work on. But it's telling that this was my last work. I've worked on line at the expense of pretty much everything else, I see.

There's apparently a lot of hard work on the horizon for me, but it's so much fun...

Chris Saper · 10-20-2004, 11:20 PM

Hi Katherine,

Do try to spend some time with the various threads on good resource photography here throughout the Forum. There are a number of inherent "lies" in photography, and in order to learn how to compensate for them, you do really need to practice from life.

When you begin with a flash photo,as in the above drawing, you start with a handicap that is pretty much impossible to overcome. By getting your resource photos under your control, you can make the time you do spend practicing with them much more productive in terms of developing the skills (value, color, edges) you will want to gain as soon as possible.

Good luck!

PS There's plot of work on ALL our horizons, and that is indeed what makes it so much fun!

Katherine Annon · 10-21-2004, 01:13 AM

...thank you, Chris. Your book Painting Beautiful Skin Tones with Color and Light was one of the first I bought, but it turns out that it may be something I'll need to work my way up to. Lots of simple drawing-oriented things to tackle first. I do love looking at your work, though. And the "Using Photographic References" section is very helpful. I know that the technical references regarding...well, color and light - are going to be tremendously helpful when I reach that point.

This forum is a wonderful thing. A huge blanket thanks to all of you.

Sharon Knettell · 10-21-2004, 09:05 AM

Katherine,

Katherine Clarks book shows you how to work with a simple egg as a beginning. One source you should consider is a place where they make concrete garden casts. Get a little putti (baby sculpture) or anything that has good round contours.

Katherine Clark's book, has simple diagrams, and shows you how to set up painting from life.

Harold Speed's book shows you invaluable measuring and drawing techniques. His painting and drawing books describes first painting in monochrome and then in a limited palette.

Get those and then after a bit you can wallow in Chris's beautiful colors.

Michele Rushworth · 10-21-2004, 09:39 AM

Sharon and Chris offer excellent advice, as always.

I would re-iterate and clarify their points as follows:

1. Turn off your flash whenever you photograph something or someone you want to draw.

2. When drawing from a live person or real object in front of you, use a single strong source of light, (but not from the front, the way the flash is on your camera). For example, put an egg or two on the table, as Sharon suggested. Then set a desk lamp at a 45 degree angle to the subject so you have a single strong source of light, giving some form to whatever it is you're looking at.

Once you have something to work from that is actually lighted to show form and volume (and not just line) you'll find it a hundred times easier to represent that form on paper.

Katherine Annon · 10-21-2004, 10:32 AM

Believe it or not, I actually tried the single source of light technique in this picture. That glaring light on my subject was a bright lamp I set up. I've been taking photos every day of everything (or everything that won't weird the people around me out - I ask permission re: any human subjects!). I carry my camera around with me and I work daily in shooting with the flash off, too. While it may not be the best kind of practice, it has given me a feel for working without a flash. But I have to study carefully how to set up - or seek out appropriate lighting. This photo makes my subject look like she is either being interrogated or facing down an oncoming train in a tunnel.