Family Portrait Painting: Part 6

At last, I am here, working on Laurel, the final figure in this family portrait. Completing a figure a week in this painting at times seemed like a lofty goal when I have had multiple projects going on at the same time. But I did it and am so happy to be at this point. Relieved, really.

Stage 14: Painting Laurel's face. I used the same method of working wet-on-wet as I did with the other family members. Working on one subject after another with the same light source allowed me to get a similar approach going with each of them. I thought this would help me get faster with each one but it didn't. It still took me a similar amount of strokes and problem solving moments to get the features just right and the lighting and colors accurate. Because Laurel was standing closer to the camera, I had to adjust her size to fit in with the composition. Reference photos are helpful but not accurate when it comes to size and proportions. The camera lens had made her unrealistically larger than the rest.

Stage 15: Painting the red dress. If you follow the visual progression of Laurel's dress in these next few photos, you can see how I blocked in the shapes of the shadows and light with large simple strokes of color.

Stage 15...continued. The light, shadows and folds create visual movement in her dress.

Loading my brush with nice, thick paint (about the consistency of mayonnaise) and creating the final effects of light on the front of her dress was so much fun. I love being able to see the brush strokes. It is entertaining to the viewer.

While the paint was still fresh, I took a deep breath and painted her delicate necklace and its shadows.
 

Stage 16: And then from there it was time to paint her arms and hands. Once again, the jewelry added so much to this composition. Eye catching details...yes!

Stage 17: Painting Laurel's legs, feet and sandals. I kept adding more color to her legs and then decided to hold off and not do any more until the background is painted in. Then, adjustments will be made to everyone I'm sure.

Painting in the background will add an entirely new dimension to this group portrait. I can hardly wait!

 

Family Portrait Painting: Part 5

Kelly was the next in line to be painted in this colorful family portrait.



Stage 11: Painting Kelly's face. This tonal method of painting a portrait was first introduced to me during a David Leffel portrait class at the Andreeva Portrait Academy in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Even though I was painting from a live model then, I still use this approach when working from a reference photo. Getting this first thin layer of paint down familiarizes me with the shape of the face and the features.

After the under painting was done but still wet, I came back in with a thicker layer of paint that I had mixed to represent Kelly's skin color.

Once the basic skin color was applied, I added additional color. Pinks, blues, yellows...Kelly has beautiful undertones in her skin that enhances not only her, but the painting.

Once Kelly's face and neck were complete I enjoyed painting the gorgeous light in her hair.

Stage 12: Painting the dress. And then it was time for her fun dress and belt. I used the same approach as before of blocking in her dress with the solid color and then while the paint was still wet I went in with yellows to catch the hi-lights and dark greens and browns to capture the shadows.

This belt was a fun treat.

Stage 13: After the dress it was time for her legs and arms. Details like the sandals (and belt) add interest as well as a historical reference to the fashion of this time period.

And here I am, at last, with four subjects down and only one to go! When I first started this painting it seemed like it would be "forever and a day" to get to this point. Now it feels like it is going quickly.

 

 Laurel is next!

 

Family Portrait Painting: Part 4





Stage 8: Painting Sarah's face and hair. When I'm painting a group portrait where the individuals are this small even a fraction of an inch in any direction can make such a difference in capturing a likeness. With Sarah's dark brown, distinctively shaped eyebrows, I knew that accuracy was important. I'm not convinced that I have them just right; time will tell after I take a break and then look at them again later. 

Stage 9 and 10: Painting Sarah's clothes and then her arms and legs. I forgot to photograph stage 9 when I painted her clothing. I really enjoyed the bright yellow blouse and vibrant orange-red skirt; they added drama to the painting. The morning light enhanced their folds and draping. When painting her arms and legs(stage 10), my concentration was on color, form and light. There were nice pink and blue tones to her skin. I'm pretty happy with most of the outer edges but will work on them more when I do the background.



Sometimes its fun to see sections of the painting close-up. I love adding details like the watch and bracelets. They are not only fun to paint but they also give us hints about Sarah's personality. They become part of the story.

The simple detail of the shimmery button on her blouse added a nice touch to the composition.

 

Kelly, you are next.

Family Portrait Painting: Part 3

Stage 5: Painting the face and hair. The lighting for Patty's golden hair was ideal; it glowed under the morning sun.

Stage 6: Painting the dress. Her dress was more of a beige color but the reflected color from her surroundings makes it look lavender at this point. I'm curious to see how it looks once the other colors are painted around it. I enjoyed the detail of the necklace and the way it caught the light.

Stage 7: The arms and legs. It was nice to paint the light on Patty's shoulders and knee. After I finish this post, while the paint is still wet, I think I'll add a little more pink to portions of her back leg where the blues seem a little strong. Sometimes just looking at the photo of the painting helps me see it more objectively.

 

Now, its time for Sarah.

Family Portrait Painting: Part 2

Stage 3: Painting the clothes. If you study clothing, it becomes obvious that there can be many reflected colors in them depending on the lighting and environment. For Steve's yellow shirt, there are greens and oranges with hints of blue.  His khaki shorts also reflected light blue and hints of orange.

Stage 4: Painting the arms and legs. In situations such as this, I feel like I've been given a break having  to paint only one full arm and hand with one leg. I did have to give his other arm and leg (partially exposed) my full attention just to make sure that they are believable and work with the composition. As with all my work, I gave it my all but know, deep down, I will soon see things a bit more clearly and will make adjustments and corrections.

Now its time to work on Patty, Steve's wife.

Family Portrait Painting: Part 1

It has been years since I have painted a family portrait and so it must be time. This 36 x 48" painting of the Johnson family will be a great challenge for me. Just getting started with the composition of five figures on the canvas was exciting enough all by itself. My plan is to paint one figure at a time.

Stage 1: Drawing the figures. With a thin wash of paint I used the reference photos I had taken to loosely draw in the family members, freehand. At this point I did not worry about getting their features just right; I was more concerned about the composition and proportions.

Stage 2: Painting the first face. With multiple figures I am most comfortable painting from left to right and so I began with the husband/father, Steve. Painting wet-on-wet, (alla prima), my goal was to complete his face as much as possible. I will work on him more later when I have fresh eyes - plus it will also be helpful to study him in person.

Sunflower Painting

Medley
24 x 18", oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson (c) 2013

Ever since I painted this still life, I have wanted to go back in a rework it. I kept waiting to see it with fresh eyes. At last, this weekend, I took the time to take it out of its frame, mix the paints and get it done.