A portrait study

So my next painting was a portrait.  I can understand that this is where the pain in painting comes from.  It is so difficult getting it exactly right that it is really painful.  My model was one of my daughters.  I had a reference photo of her (presented below) which I used.  My objective was to do a couple of studies before I did the final painting.

I wanted to do it in sepia, so I first did another colour study, presented below.  The first row was too grey, so I added more Burnt Sienna to get the second, warmer, row.  I used this row for the painting.

Sepia colour study.

I make use of an iPad app called Camera Lucida to transfer the image onto the canvas.  This is similar to using a projector, but simpler.  Well for these studies I used my Winsor & Newton Galleria paints on 200 gsm watercolour paper which I stuck onto some hardboard.  The result of the first attempt is presented below.  I felt that it was a bit washed out and I did not really capture her likeness.  It is predominantly the eyes that are out of place.

Lise: first study

For the seconds study I changed 4 things.  I only used 5 values on the colour chart that I set up.  I enlarged the image to make it easier to paint.  I used Zinc White (called mixing white) instead of Titanium White to paint and I enlarged the eyes on purpose.  The mixing white is more transparent than the other one, making it more difficult to get a true white onto the canvas, but it also does not have a too dramatic impact on the canvas should you blot it down in the wrong spot.  I thought I could reduced the washed-out effect by using the mixing white. So, here is the result and another photo of her with the painting.  The zinc white turned out to be quite difficult to work with.  I wanted to insert some highlights from the sun and that it the reason for the white blots.  I feel like I still did not quite get her smile right and that the shape of her face need to be a little more rounded.  But, it was a good step forward in another aspect of the world of paint.  And off-course, Lise is really chuffed with all the attention that she is suddenly getting and that I keep on making paintings of her.

Lise

Lise with the painting