Portrait Class Week 7

The weeks has flown by quickly. Pina has taught me all about proportions and how to achieve likeness - I'm sure there is more to learn in the future. Our model this week was Judy, a dancer. She has a very slender fine boned frame "bird like" with very large eyes. For this reason I believe she is incredibly difficult to draw, as many of our class mates concurred. I was only satisfied with this last attempt (after numerous others)as it captures her fragile beauty.

Self Portrait Attempt #2

After being told that my previous self-portrait was not like me, that I am usually joyous and colourful etc, I thought it was time to do a flattering self-portrait. After Pina's last class where Serena posed with flowers, necklaces and lots of make-up, I thought I'd try one of myself with similar props. Generally, I am a colourful person, I love bright colours and wear them a lot. I am also usually good humoured and have a smile. I've to also add that I'm plump (no evidence of any collar bone, all buried deeply) and enjoy cooking, baking and eating, as they say "Never trust a skinny cook". But to be flattering, I removed some bulges and took an angle where my double chin is not very evident. What do they say about artistic licence!!!

Family Portraits

I struggle to get a good portrait of my hubby, as although he is willing to pose, he tends to slump down the sofa and watches TV with a glazed look. This portrait is from a low angle and it is rather unflattering. However, he tells me he can see his various brothers and nephews in the picture. I should really indicate the pillow he is propped up on as it looks strange otherwise.

I also managed to get my mother in law to agree to pose for me. Unfortunately I used a white ground, which is a big no-no with pastels so it looks quite washed out. She thinks it quite flattering as the wrinkles are less obvious than in reality.

Portrait of daughter

After some research on pastel colours for skin tones, I purchased two new colours - pink and a browny pink. Pastel portraits that I've done to date usually have olive skin tones which is more tinted towards the orange hue. However, my husband is very fair and so a closer representation would involve pinker hues. I asked my daughter to pose for a photograph which I used as the basis for this portrait. She has olive skin in real life but I was determined to try my new colour scheme! It looks like her, but not 100%. As I've said before, drawing children is difficult - any more lines on the face and they look much older. I hope this portrait doesn't suffer too much from this common error - she is 5 years old. I'd be interested to hear what people think.

Portrait Drawing Week 4

This week's model was Don, a 70+ year old man. Don introduced himself as a previous bank manager who gave it up after a mid-life crisis and redeveloped a couple of boutique hotels. Subsequently, he was approached at the gym and invited to be a model for a life drawing group. Now, isn't that something, to be requested to model in the nude when you are that age! Anyway, respectable Don agreed and that was the start of his modelling career. He tells us that his children are not comfortable with his new career and do not like any mention of the subject. Don still has a full head of hair, although it is not as lush as it was before. He has very angular features, which makes it a pleasure to draw. We were also asked to use colours this week, white, a mid-tone and charcoal. But my first attempts with just blue and white were interesting and Pina suggested that charcoal not be introduced. Don liked the second portrait - he thought it looked just like himself. I think it is great that we get a range of ages and both genders to model. Drawing perfect female faces doesn't really reflect people we know around us. Also older people have so much more personality in their faces and the lines make it more interesting than young faces.

Self Portrait Homework

Pina set us homework to do. We are to do a self portrait. I was always worried about self portraits, firstly there is the temptation to draw oneself as what one wishes to look like, not reality. Secondly, since I don't really watch myself, how would I know what is a typical pose? Anyway, after much manipulation of the mirror, easel and lights, I managed to get a setting I was satisfied with. I am now working with larger pieces of paper/ canvas - after Pina tells me that I observe a lot so I ought to do larger works. Most recent works is at least A2 size. My first attempt highlighted all the shadows and flaws. My double chin was much more obvious and so are all the shadows accentuating the downward curve of the mouth. I tried to paint it as close to life as possible and be as objective as I could. Then I showed it to my family. My husband, bless him, tells me that this is not me, that I'm prettier and younger. So I just rubbed out some of the lines and tried to make my double chin less obvious. You can see that the gaze is towards the mirror. Obviously I'm drawing my reflection so anybody who is not comfortable with it will know why. I, on the other hand, am most comfortable with it :-) My husband also says that I do not always look so solemn and sad. It is true that I laugh a lot. But wouldn't it be insane to grin at yourself in the mirror whilst attempting a self-portrait? Perhaps next time I shall have to follow Eunice's suggestion of liberal amounts of wine prior to painting so that inhibitions don't get in the way!

Portrait Class Week 3

This week Pina showed us another technique, where the whole paper was ground in charcoal and we either rubbed away or used white conte to indicate the light bits and darkened the shadows. This is similar to most pastel techniques, as pastel is usually done on coloured paper, as the mid-tone. She also wanted us to focus on the dramatic lighting. Our model was Claire from Glasgow. Claire is travelling the world and making some money through modelling. She is petite but has a lovely face with high cheekbones. Her accent is typical Glaswegian but after having visited numerous times now, I have no trouble understanding her. Claire also has lovely neck/ shoulder bones (really should have paid attention to their anatomical names).