Portrait painters, can we talk???
Elsie74070
I posted here, I got quite a few replies, but I suspect that it was because
then, as now, I used a friend's computer, and SHE'S A GIRL, so the header
carried a return address with a lady's name. When I responded to the notes I
got from my last post and signed a GUY's name, I got no further replies. So,
once again, I'M A GUY . . . a real artist who wants to talk to other real
artists about ART.
I'd like to find a few artists who would like to chat about some of the more
bread and butter aspects of oil painting, and specifically, portraiture.. I
don't want to sound stand-offish, but I'd like to talk to artists with some
experience behind them. I've been painting almost 20 years (although some days
I have a hard time believing it, myself). I have nothing against the beginner.
Hell, I was one, myself, once, and some days, I think I still am. If I can
help a beginner, I'll be happy to. It's just that I've come far enough that
the little things, like getting a likeness, sorting out warm from cool colors,
values and things like that aren't such a mystery anymore. Still, I do have my
difficulties.
I do a lot of work from photos, so I'd like to talk to someone who has
experience in this area. I sometimes nearly loose my mind comint up with the
right flesh tone. Photos are usually rather "blah" representations of a
person. A lot of information, such as color, value, hue, etc., gets lost in
the translation of a photo into a negative into a separation into a printed
page. Right now, I'm working on a particularly enchanting dance scene – a
guy and girl dancing. It's an inside shot with strong light from above which
leaves the light-catching, high points of the faces rather stark and washed
out. It's okay in the photo, but looks rather sick and ghastly in a painting.
In effect, the highlights are so high as to be almost white. Halftones are
nearly nonexistent. The only semblance of halftones in below the cheek bones,
and that is one of those high pinks softened with a little raw umber. The
man's face is in shadow, so his tones tend to be too dark.
I also have a problem with studio lighting. Never in my painting life have I
been so lucky as to have a north light studio. For some reason, it has either
been an east light (humongous sun in the mornings) or now, a south light
studio with humongous sun in the afternoon. I fight the sun for what seems
like forever, and finally, I just give up, block all outside light, and use
artificial light. It's not very good, but at least, it's consistent through
the day (or night). There's nothing worse than painting in bright sun all
morning, and then coming back to a painting that evening, only to discover that
all your colors and values have changed – AGAIN. I use a mix of lights: Warm
and cool flourescent, and warm and cool incandescent, hoping that all those
various wavelengths will average out to something at least similar to outside
light.
Is there anyone out there like me who has these or other problems that,
together, we might be able to help each other with. If so, please write to me
at bro...@mexconnect.com. (I'm using my friend's computer because she has
access to the newsgroups, something I can't reach from my email web site.
And remember, I'M A GUY. JUST AN UGLY OLD GUY. I'm not cute, and I don't
date. I just paint!!!
Dick Budig, Tulsa, OK
mary
Ya tried that??? ....hon