Methods of creating a likeness

Carolyn Ortiz · 09-25-2002, 04:13 PM

Sometimes I achieve a great likeness from life/ photo, but other times I do not. And of course I want to be consistent with this first before I try to do this for a living.

I am an eyeballer (wow, what a technical term!) I don't use rules or shapes or anything like that but I am very open to try anything that will help me improve.

So my question is: What's your method for achieving a likeness?

I am attaching an unsuccessful drawing I did last night to illustrate my need for help! I wanted to work fast and have fun, but got too involved. It's just a piece I wanted to do for practice and to get away from colored pencils for a little bit.

There are a ton of problems starting with the most important - eyes (my starting point), so instead of putting it in the critique section and then having to reimburse everyone for their worn out broken keyboards, I thought I'd post here as evidence.

THANKS!

Carolyn Ortiz · 09-25-2002, 04:16 PM

See I added some unintentional years to her. I'm not sure doing 'Aged Portraits' of people will be a success!

Michele Rushworth · 09-25-2002, 06:09 PM

I think the likeness is very good. Softening the edges on the features will take a few years off her and improve the overall image, but otherwise -- good job!

Steven Sweeney · 09-25-2002, 07:36 PM

If this is one of your unsuccessful efforts, could I please be your agent?

I rarely give much thought to "likeness" until quite late in the work, which will be long after I've put away the plumb lines or other tools I might find useful to get the parts of the "big look" in their correct orientation, in proper relation and proportion. There are few gumption traps as deep as having to erase or scrape off a "perfect" eye or mouth, or head or hand, because it was executed perfectly in an imperfect location.

One technique I use is to keep the artwork and the subject (whether live model or photo) close enough within my field of vision that I can pick out an area and rapidly look back and forth, back and forth, between the two. The mind's eye will hold both images long enough to register a comparison between them and tell you how they differ. This works (for me) for both shapes and values.

A couple of examples, using your drawing and the reference photo. Looking back and forth at the light area on the cheek on the viewer

Steven Sweeney · 09-25-2002, 11:58 PM

So this guy goes into a bar . . .

Couple of later thoughts:

I once heard or read someone's advice on likeness, to look for those particularly distinctive features that you would exaggerate if you were doing a 10-minute caricature. Then, omit the exaggeration, but make absolutely sure that, at the very least, those features are present in your work, and that they're accurate.

One of those experiences that makes you wonder whether to go out and conquer the world or search out a bottle of gin, Daniel Greene remarked off-handedly, in response to a question during a public pastel portrait demonstration at his studio, that he wasn't all that concerned about getting a likeness, that getting a likeness was one of the easier parts of doing a portrait.

Carolyn Ortiz · 09-26-2002, 02:37 PM

Michele & Steven,

I have begun softening; thanks for the advice and response. Are we all eyeballers (I really need to find a proper term, this sounds so uneducated)? Is that how you do your work? So is it then that it just takes practice to become consistent? Do you have a usual starting point and measure features, jawline, etc. from that point, or do you sketch out the entire form and then add the details? Hope I'm not over stepping my bounds and asking a magician the secrets of his/her tricks.

I just really want to learn.

Steven,

I'd like a gin and tonic please! I can picture myself at the bar (after I've flashed my ID 5 or 6 times, which is not far from the truth) my head in my hands while I mull over this perplexing statement! If I weren't concerned with getting a likeness from the very start of the painting/ drawing I might have a real good chance as an abstract expressionist. I am starting to think it may just take practice, and practice, and experience. Guess, I just expect to be perfect at it right now so I can try to make a living, instead of going with the flow more and being patient.

Thanks for the caricature tip. And for everything you picked up on. I think the "looking back and forth" method is pretty much what I do. But maybe I need to work on spending more time with my eyes on the reference. You're so right about the lower lip and that is one that I had overlooked. I have started working on the cheeks. You have also pointed out something so invaluable by stating about the "structure" of the face, you made me realize that I am always looking at a photo as a 2-d object and working to just transfer what I see into a 2-d drawing and forget that it is a 3-d subject I am potraying. Thanks for that! I think that will be a huge help! I'm going to work on my values, keeping in mind the facial planes. And for all future work, when working from a photo I'll keep in mind the planes and that they are 3-D, they are 3-D, they are 3-D (my new mantra!).

You are so kind to take so much time to help! Thank you! Also, well this is a little embarrassing, but what are plumb lines?

Chris Saper · 09-26-2002, 04:17 PM

As mentioned previously, there are an enormous amount of factors that convey likeness. For purposes of this post, however, I am assuming you are talking about how to make the face on your canvas look like the face of the model.

As far as I

Michael Fournier · 09-26-2002, 06:39 PM

Well, it may sound strange but I don't think about it at all. I just worry about values, shapes and color and the likeness just seems to come.

The hard part for me is not getting a simple likeness but in capturing the character of the individual. This is more than just capturing the forms of the face. Also in portraits we tend to have very subtle expressions. So it is very easy to come very close but, have something be not quite right. Sometimes when working from a photo, I can work for days and I can't seem to get that special something that instantly identifies the person. But I can do a quick study from life and get it in a hour. It may be that the photo just did not capture that fleeting expression that comes and goes as the person sits. Also the mouth moves as does the area around the eyes depending on expression. As Sargent was quoted as saying "A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth".

I know this probably does not help you any but really there is no secret to capturing the likeness. It all comes down to hard work: the more you paint the more consistently you will get a painting you are happy with. Also you know even the best artist at times have had to do more than one attempt before they and the client were happy with the final painting. I love the story in E. R. Kinstler book about the Katharine Hepburn commission. In one of the captions it says that he filled forty pages with pencil drawings and color studies. Now I think that there is a lesson in that. How many artists try to go from photo reference to finished portrait with out any drawings or studies?

Carolyn Ortiz · 09-26-2002, 09:45 PM

I can't believe this is free... probably shouldn't say that too loudly

Chris,

Guess I let my eyes do the measuring instead of actual tools, and think it's time I started using some! Thank you for your response. I have even printed everything out and will have it handy for my next piece. I am an inside-out drawer; from photos I start with the eyes, and from life start from the nose, and then put everything in relative to that one feature, and I'd say maybe 90% of the time it works out very well. My professors always hated my method. (But this topic would be better suited for the psychiatrist couch section of the Forum!)

But they never told me why or taught me how else to do it. I think I may try the other method and work outside-in just to see what happens. And measure with a tool.

I suppose I am using the plumb lines but never knew what they were called. I really need to work on the artistic lingo skills! As you can tell, I didn't learn very much in college and I'm paying for it now. (In more ways than one, also a topic better for the psychiatrist's couch!) Ha ha!

Well, thanks again for all the info! Which I have not taken lightly and WILL be using in the future! Maybe when I'm in Arizona visiting the family I'll stop by and get you that drink! (They're just a ways away in Tucson)

Michael,

Exactly one of my problems; I can get pretty close sometimes, but then something is just not quite right. I suppose there is no precise method to capture a likeness and the artist finds their own with practice. But I am looking foward to using some others' methods. I think we are pretty similar in that I never really paid too much attention and just tried to paint/ draw what I saw. But now that I want to try this professionally, I think I want to perfect it as much as I can. I just get too carried away in color and values, and start having too much fun pushing around the paint to not worry about holding on to a likeness. Thanks for your input!

Michael Fournier · 09-26-2002, 10:25 PM

Quote:

I am an inside out drawer, from photos I start with the eyes and from life...

Well, Carolyn, every artist has his way. Your way can be hard; you really need to get that placement of the first element right. But that does not make it wrong. Here is a link to a artist whose work I really like. Take a look at his demo section. You will see you are not alone in your approach. I would go crazy painting like this but he seems to make it work for him. I tend to block in large shapes first, then paint the details on them. But like I said have a look at his work you might like working in a similar style.
http://www.morganweistling.com/