Getting From Here To There - A Portrait Painting Process

                            

http://lisa-locurto.artistwebsites.com/

 

 Whenever I sit down to paint a portrait, I get flushed. Painting a viable likeness requires skill and patience, releasing the spirit of a subject is an entirely different pursuit. Portraits must evoke feeling and transfer the energy of the person to the viewer if they are to be successful, whatever the level of skill, painting style or medium. As a teacher of special needs students for many years, I've seen stick figure drawings that were unmistakably who they were intended to be. As an art lover, I seen famous portraits in galleries and museums that looked like cadavers, baring little resemblance to any breathing subject walking the planet.

So how do you get from the subject, to where the "who" in your painting is firstly recognizable, then, evocative of their personality and spirit?

Every artist has their methods. And mine are as unorthodox as the next gal's-on both counts. Getting from here to there is a very individual journey. Every person works differently, and I approach each canvas and step in the process with an open mind.

I'm certain of some of the answers, but not others. This series of blog entries will explore that process. Please join in by leaving comments as we journey!

STEP 1 Start with a good image.

Samsung Galaxy Note SmartPhone in hand, I lightly block out a likeness of the subject on the canvas. I prefer close-up views and compositions that break up the canvas in an appealing way-meaning, I don't paint a subject in a formal pose.

STEP 2 Block in the background, basic undertones/mid-tones, and significant compositional detail.

I used key green for a the backgrounds on a recent series of portraits. I like the color and it lends a graphic, non-realistic feel to the paintings. This color is typical to TV and Film production, where the figure in the foreground needs to be separated from the background to make a composite image. I selected the color so that the subjects could be removed from their context and environment-personality forward!

MORE TO FOLLOW IN COMING POSTS!

http://lisa-locurto.artistwebsites.com/

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