Posthumous Portraits

[Mary Sparrow]

I wasn't sure where to put this. I hope this is appropriate.

Sadly a friend of mine's niece, age 8, was killed Wednesday when a bathroom wall in a public park collapsed on her as she filled her water gun.

She would like to have a portrait done of her to give her sister.

The only time I have ever done this was many years ago before I understood the need for good resource material. So, here I am, faced with this and not really sure how to proceed. They live in Nebraska, this will all take place via the internet.

How do I go about explaining what I need etc. and be sensitive at the same time? It may be a very obvious answer. Please tell me how to handle this and the best way to explain to them what to look for in an existing photograph/s. Thanks.

[Linda Nelson]

I guess it depends on what you are going to provide as an outcome. If you are going to do a head an shoulders only, well that SIGNIFICANTLY helps - you just that to consider when selecting amongst photos they'll send. Also you can complete it a lot faster.

I did a 30 x 45 " painting of a 7 year old and her 3 year old sister a few years back . The 7 year old had an inoperable brain tumor, and was already too sick to pose for photos. Friends sent school and "Sears" portrait studio photos to me. I found the "right " heads to work with, then came up with a composition that would match the heads but would make a better painting. I recruited 2 neighbor girls to pose so to act as the body substitutes. Be careful to mimc the lighting from the original face shots as much as possible.

It worked out great. I know that eventually when the girl died a year later, they brought the painting to the wake and funeral.

I have done this body substitute on other projects since, and although it's not an ideal way to start a portrait, it sure can give you a better painting..

[Tom Edgerton]

It's hard. But it can be very rewarding.

The best way to proceed is to be very straightforward about what you need to do a good job. You have to let them know, gently, that you can't paint what you can't see, and that making something up won't work or be believable. Also, reserve the right to bail if no suitable reference is available. You're not a magician, and you can't bring that person back, and with all of the emotion inherent in the situation, especially here, you can't afford the bad feeling that a bad job will incur. Sometimes, sadly, there is just nothing to work from, and it's hard to say no, but necessary.

I usually request at least one professionally taken head and shoulders photographic portrait, that's sharp and clear enough to give you what you need. Of course, all parties have to agree that that's the principle image on which to base the portrait. I sometimes bring this head to a model's body that I photograph, if I need more pose, but this has to be very carefully matched up with a believable angle and lighting. Don't put an inside head on a scene that's shot outside, for instance. Though someone has done it successfully in the past, I'm sure, it very rarely works.

Then I ask for a number of good "garden variety" snapshots of this person at the same age from many angles, to round out my understanding of them.

IF they have a comprehensive photo they took that's just perfect, with enough detail, and it's sharp and clear, you can work from that. This is more unusual than you might think. An amateurishly taken photo will result in an amateurish painting. Remember that in this situation, you are only as good as your reference.

I'd ask for the photos. You may not get adequate quality receiving them electronically. Make your own scans and do any doctoring from the hard copies.

Be very sensitive to their feelings, but don't let them talk you into something you can't provide. This situation seems extremely fresh and raw, so proceed with caution. Their mood may swing wildly through this process, and you need to feel them out slowly.

As I say, it can be extremely rewarding, but only if it goes just right.

Best--TE

[Rob Sullivan]

Mary, that's a terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to your friend and her family.

Just a few days ago, I unveiled a potsumous portrait. The piece and my thoughts on the inherent sensitivity of the process can be viewed here:

http://forum.portraitartist.com/showthread.php?t=4274

I had a few photos as reference, but the best one was an official high school photo - which was the technical equivalent of a "Sears portrait". And even though this wasn't so great, and all the rest of the shots were point-and-shoot frontal flash, the consistency of her features and expressions seved as an excellent gulideline.

Though it is obviously a terribly sensitive issue, in the interest of your success with the quality of the portrait, I'm certain the family will gladly loan you the materials you need once you explain to them the necessity of such reference.

Best,

Rob

[Garth Herrick]

Mary,

I had a simlar commission 15 years ago:

A six year old boy, with a modeling career, was struck and killed by a bus on the way to school. His aunt commissioned me to paint his portrait for Mother's Day which was just a week away! She gave me his favorite Izod shirt and favorite Transformer plastic monster toy, which she had stealth-fully "borrowed" from his room. She also gave me a series of studio photographs from modeling sessions.

With four days left I had no time to waste. I filled the shirt up with soft tissue for a prop and laid the toy against it at the nipple level. I determined the best reference photographs were when he was age four, with blond hair covering his ears and a tiny tail. Besides I felt representing him at age four would remove by two years any associations with the tragedy at age six. I had no stand-in for the arms and hands, so I just made them up.

I finished the painting in four days, a record for me, and delivered it perfectly wet, along with the supporting materials. I wasn't sure a Mother's day surprise was the best plan of intentions. For months there was just dead silence. Finally about a year later the boy's mother gathered the courage to call me and tearfully acknowledged she was deeply touched by the portrait. It was worth the wait.

I have no advice to add beyond the good advice posted above.

Best of luck,

Garth

[Mary Sparrow]

How do you feel about this picture as a reference. I personally like it better than some of the posed pictures.

[Mary Sparrow]

Wow, that picture sure does look dark and compressed. The original version is much lighter and shows more detail in her face.

[Garth Herrick]

Mary,

This is powerful. I would try to do a portrait with this image. This image is engaging and draws the viewer in to interact with the girl in a very living way. If that is her sister sitting beside her and supporting her, then this image is even all the more powerful. This is a little girl who was full of the love of life and still is in this composition. While the composition is unconventional, it is extremely effective; it has good emotional content, it really sucks the viewer in like a magnet, and there is a built in harmony of cool colors and values to frame the warmth in her face.

This so much reminds me of the posthumous portrait I did of the little boy in 1989, It has the same immediacy and playful engagement (Mary, I wish I knew where that digital file was so I could share it with you). The boy's head was similarly turned (but his torso was facing forward and the composition was vertical instead of horizontal). I invented some playful interaction between the boy's transformer toy and the Izod alligator stitched on his shirt. as if they were about to battle each other in the boy's imagination. It was a fun painting.

Mary, I think you have a powerful image for reference that could make an even more powerful portrait. Go for it!

Garth