Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Work In Progress, WIP Portrait Study of My Grandson


I thought you might like to see a couple of stages of a work in progress.  This is an oil portrait on a 14x11 canvas that I started a couple of weeks ago and have been working on it in intervals with other paintings.  After sketching an outline lightly with pencil on the canvas, I used a thin mixture of burnt umber and turpenoid to build a grisaille monotone image using a large filbert.  I call it a rough in.  This is the first time I did a grisaille to this degree.  Usually, just outline the main features and hair, then start painting.  Building the monotone was fun and familiarizes the painter with the image features. It also provides foundation to yield a likeness quickly when the paint is applied.  I am still working the painting with layers of flesh tones and improving errors on the features.  I call these opportunities.  I see one already in  the lips.  It's easier to see errors sometimes when the photos are lined up side by side.  This is an easy correction I can do next session.

I will post the finished painting, hopefully soon.

Jimmie

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