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The Portrait
I was commissioned to do this unusual double portrait of two brothers. The main source material was a beautiful photograph of them playing, accompanied by several more detailed pictures of the boys on their own. I always try to convey a sense of personality in a portrait, so it helps to have lots of reference material, to get a feel for that. My aim is to capture the essence of someone, rather than to produce a photographic reproduction (although, of course, getting a likeness is also important). The pictures below show the stages I go through in creating a finished portrait.
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Preparation
Before I start, I do some preparation work to ensure that the sizing and proportions will be right, and then I might do some preliminary sketches. Once I am happy with my drawing, I transfer it to the painting surface and start to add the first pastel.
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Working with Pastel
Broadly speaking, I work from top left to bottom right. This is because I am right handed and it lessens the liklihood that I will lean on a completed area while working on the next section. Smudging pastel before the painting is finished is an ever-present risk...
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Finishing the first section
I continue to work on the first boy's face, using a close up photograph. I try to get it as close to finished as possible, before I move onto other areas. Clothes are in some senses much quicker (and easier) than faces, so the T shirt doesn't take too long.
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Starting the second section
Once I am reasonably happy with the first boy, I start on the second one, ignoring the lower left hand side of the painting for now. This is a risk, because I will have to lean over the right hand section when I come to work on it, but I don't want to start on the jeans before I'm sure of the positioning of the second boy. If they are painted completely separately, they can end up looking "stitched together".
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Finishing off
I work a little more on the clothes and then check the faces one more time. I will often leave a painting overnight at this stage and return to it in the morning to get a fresh perspective. Or I might view it in a mirror.
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The final result
Once I'm happy with the faces I finish off the clothing and add a little grass to "ground" the boys in the painting. They don't want to be floating about.
I'm very happy with the finished result, and so is the customer. For other examples of portraits, click here.
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To enquire about a commission or to discuss ideas please click here.
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