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Pastel Portrait
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This portrait commission is
quite a challenge. It is a surprise gift so I cannot meet the
subject but must work from a snapshot. Also the client has specified
a dark blue background which means I will not be able to make much use of the base
colour and in fact will have to pile on a lot of pigment to warm up the
skin sufficiently. I start with a rough outline in white conté pencil and begin to block in warm and cool areas. I use the same light yellow in the skin and hair to pull the whole head together. Without these links the hair can look stuck on like a wig. |
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| This is the low point - the scary stage of any portrait where you cannot believe it will ever look like a real person! In this case the effect is worsened by the dark blue showing around the features which I have left uncovered for now for fear of blotting them out. The result looks like a character from a horror film and I doubt if the client would feel this reflects his image of the subject.... |
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More colour is built up to soften the skintones and the features gain some definition. Much more variation in skintone and modelling of the features will be required as the face still looks like a mask. | |
| Nearly there now. The painting looks like a real person....but not quite like the subject. The left eye (right as we look at it) is too elongated and the eyebrow is too low. The nose requires refining and the lips need more modelling. The joy of pastel is that small areas can be reworked. |
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Using a fine stiff hog hair brush I gently brush away some of the
pastel around the nose and eye sockets to show a little of the blue paper.
This creates deeper shadows but also, equally importantly, links the image
to the background colour. This helps prevent this sort of vignette (a
portrait without a background) looking like a paper cut out.
I mail a proof photo to the client before framing and he calls to say it is just like looking at his friend. He is delighted. Success! |
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