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Figurative Portrait Oil Painting Techniques Continued
by admin on Jul.14, 2009, under Portrait/Figurative
For some time now, I’ve been pondering over which oil painting techniques would be the best to use for a realist figurative portrait painting, and I still don’t have the answer. I think the best thing for me to do is just keep experimenting for now.
Thankfully, Britt came by today and I was able to work some more on this nude painting. You can see the first session on this piece on the 5/30/2009 post.
I couldn’t make too much of a difference to the piece today because I was struggling a lot with the feet, and the whole session was mostly about fixing the feet again and again. In the beginning, the feet looked very small to me. so I wiped the paint off, totally erasing the feet, then started over by blocking the large shapes in. Then after I got pretty detailed with them, they then looked too big so I wiped them off and started all over again.
By the end of the session, I felt they were about the right size, but as I am looking at it now, they still look a bit small so I would have to re-do them when Britt returns.
Aside from struggling with the feet, I worked a bit more on the face, around the eye and the mouth region, adding little more details. I also gave some more definition to the sofa, and refined the whole body a little more by blending and smoothing out the areas, but I think it is hard to see much difference from the computer. Also my camera isn’t very good.
I really don’t like going through series of corrections and being stuck like this. It’s really a waste of time. How nice it would be if I could come up with oil painting techniques that would enable my paintings to always go smoothly from start to finish. I should plan the preliminary drawing better before I start painting from now on.
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July 14th, 2009 on 6:44 pm
It definitely shows better modeling on the body, especially the lower areas, more color nuances. I kinda like the way the left big toe is pointed.
As for getting stuck and trying again, I think that’s a good thing. Sometimes you learn something- it may not necessarily apply to the painting you’re working on but you’ll be surprised when it comes in handy with another piece. Part of the fun.
July 15th, 2009 on 3:59 pm
Nice work. I like the expression that you captured in the figure above. Good composition too. I think that I might prefer if the top right corner of the painting was darker, rather than white though.
Yes, Still life can be pretty challenging. The good thing about still life is that your objects stay still.
I think that the still life with the brush and paint tube could be made stronger by reworking the composition some such as changing the angle of one of the objects rather than have them both going at the same angle. Maybe have the brush hang off the edge of the table for example. Also maybe bring in some stronger contrast on that one.
Keep up the good work. Your work has a passionate, expressive quality.
take care,
Keith
July 17th, 2009 on 10:29 pm
Nice paintings. Gorgeous model. You were a lucky guy to have her. Great blog.