An Accident Holiday Practice...

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hi !

After my first attempts, I got advice (months ago, from the Forum): First the basics in charcoal (form) and then oil. I did it, not much -- but I did it.

Meg Ryan is an "accident" picture. On my holiday, I had all my painting tools with me, only my printed projects forgotten! I searched in magazines, (but they are bad for references), and lastly I found this one with more light sources.

I wished to catch her "funny" character. I tried to scan the tiny picture for a reference-photo. Made with B. Umber + White underpainting and opaque overpainting without glazing. Dim:20"x 16".

Any comments are welcome.

Best wishes,
Leslie

[Steven Sweeney]

Well, Leslie, I have a

[Steven Sweeney]

By the way, Leslie, likeness notwithstanding, there are many discrete areas of this where you have handled the paint very well. You've obviously been doing some homework. Keep it up.

[John Zeissig]

Hello Leslie,

I didnt know what Meg Ryan looks like, so I did a web search and found some pictures of her. I wasn't able to conclude how good a likeness this is, because what I was able to see was sufficiently different in lighting and other respects that I wasn't able to form a judgement. But what struck me is that it resembles the young Faye Dunaway. But as you've noted, these "star" portraits are difficult to do from photos. I did an Elvis about ten years ago, and my brother asked me if it was a self-portrait. I got even with him by telling him that, no, it wasn't a self-portrait, it was actually a portrait of him!

Echoing what Steven said, there are a lot of things to like about this painting. For one thing, it looks proportionately fairly good as far as the drawing is concerned. The treatment of the eyes is pretty sophisticated, with the high values in the iris' opposite the reflected highlight off the cornea, although I think she would benefit from some shadow below the eyelids on the whites of the eyes. The edges of the hair against the background are softer than what is frequently seen in peoples early posts, so it looks as though you've been paying attention to that.

I think the direct frontal lighting in the photo you're working from makes this one very difficult. You might try bringing up the values on the tip and bridge of the nose and on the cheekbones and forehead to bring these forward, and lower the values on the sides of the head to make them recede a bit. As it is now, I think the planes of the face look a bit flatter than they should. All in all though, your paint handling looks very good. The basic skills are all there.

I'm not sure what her funny character is that you're trying to catch. Right now her expression conveys to me an attitude of mild attentiveness, but no strong suggestion of humor or any particular emotion. Actually, it's a fairly typical, neutral, portrait expression. What did you have in mind?

John

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hello!

Wow, Elvis is alive! He's John`s brother!
A lot of thanks for your effort and time. Much stuff for translating.

First to background, is an experiment with a big brush and rag.I`ll to change it. More darker and not too "wild" (bluish and less blotchy).

Unfortunately, I cannot post the reference photo, I wrote the story above (an unexpected need demanding). I'm so glad to make a few steps forward. I painted this and my last 2 (underpainting-status) directly, without any pre-sketching.Now I believe, I`m an "in-out" type. Only I must to start from "in" (e.g.left eye) and thereon setting up the following features to "out" (read about this somewhere here).

OK "funny" is not the best word what I meant. I say similar to Steven, she has something interesting distinctive features. (BTW, Steven, a must be seen comedy is French Kiss with K. Kline, simply the best).

John, I repainted some areas before I read this,oh yes, this photos made not for painter,(but my wife did not want to pose for me). I see the missing 3d information and the false skintone. Sure, a pro can improvise somewhat to make it better. As you wrote I have a little basic and need finer handling of nuances and forms.

"I think she would benefit from some shadow below the eyelids on the whites of the eyes.".

Dangerous, but I`ll try it! The hairs, Kurt Wehlte's book wrote about sfumato,I tried to mix a tiny touch color from hairs to background and vice versa, to get a not a cut-off and paste-in look. About copyright,I understand so: one may copy all for private, not for sale. I saw a few exercise books with stars even with step-by-step sketching just to copy these. Yesterday, somebody said to me: Right, but may not publish on the Net or somewhere(meant the originally photo shot by others).

Uups, just occurs to me, I'll get anger with my other exercises from artrenewal.org, but they have so much hi-res jpg-s

Best wishes,
Leslie

[Leslie Bohoss]

Hi again,

I tried to make a few things better on my picture.I believe is better now.But the "shadowside" is still wrong (of course, not only this I know) and not to repair.

Ciao,
Leslie

[Leslie Bohoss]

Uups! Missing my photo.

Not so sharp, sorry...