Lilac Whispers-Portraits-Finish

Double Portrait Work In Progress

Whispered secrets in the shade of a lilac garden. 

The Completion

Last Wednesday, (4-9-14) , I had completed session #3. I'll pick up from there.

Session #4

I continued with the oil straight from the tube, but applied thinly with a scrubbing motion to fade or blend. I was adding more lights trying to come close to the value I needed. There appears to be a blue cast to this shot. No doubt due to the lighting or the camera.....couldn't possibly be the fault of me, the cameraman!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Session #5

I'm using stiff filbert brushes to apply the straight oil paint. Softer brushes for features, using slightly thinned paint. I keep building and adjusting value and color. At this point, I have tried to keep all edges soft until the last step.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ta-Daaaa- Done!

Here's when I decide where to place the emphasis (highest contrast-hardest edges). Like the sun on the faces and select strands of hair, etc. Some strokes are pretty thick in the lighter areas. This adds texture and interest to the surface.
There are many soft edges in the features in this piece, due to the shade.

There comes a point where I lay the brush down and say, "Done".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Close Up

Close Up

Well there it is!

My sister in law picked it up and was happy with it. She cried...and not because of the price (I wanted to do it for free). The client's reaction is my greatest pay.

Hope you enjoyed my venture. Thanks for coming along.

^{John 7:12}        While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Lilac Whispers-Portraits

Double Portrait Work In Progress

Whispered secrets in the shade of a lilac garden.
                                 

These cute kids are my sister-in-law's two grandchildren.The older one has already graduated college. She's been after me to do a painting for a while, so here goes. .
This is oil on an 18 x 24 stretched canvas. A bit unusual for me since I have worked almost exclusively on small 5x7 canvas panels for the past six years or so.
I remembered to take more snaps along the way than I usually do.

Session #1

First I worked from a grid. Because this is larger than I'm used to, plus it's a double portrait. Had to be as accurate as possible right from the start. After it was drawn, I used a sharpie on the important lines I didn't want to lose...kinda like a road map.

I tinted the entire canvas with thin alizarin acrylic to establish a warm mid value. This makes it much easier to judge your first darks and lights.Then I laid in the darks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Session #2 

 

Now I started to state the darks with thin oil. Mainly pthalo blue and alizarin crimson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Session #3

 At this point, I began to feel out some color blends and values. Straight from the tube but applied rather thinly with a scrubbing motion.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Close up of session #3

I spent more time in developing the faces than anywhere else at first. I knew if it didn't work there, I would have to start all over.

Next post on these kids coming soon..... probably will include the finish. Make sure you come back! More to come!