Portrait Painting step four - George

Had not touched the painting in awhile, so everything was dry. After mixing up a new batch of black, I took some on the side and thinned it with mineral spirits. This was brushed over all the dark areas and more depth happened as a happy accident. Mars Black was then used for the darkest areas to create more definition. For fur "highlights" mixed white, black mixture, and burnt umber.
Ultimately, just a lot of tiny brush strokes and readjustment of shapes.

 

 Now today, everything else gets finished!

Portrait Painting step three - George

Now this is a "rough" step where I'm attempting to block in the correct values and mainly trying to get the forms accurate. As you can see it can be a tedious process of layering and reworking.

Going over the (pointless) acrylic underpainting with oil, painting the darkest values first.

Thinning the paint causing it to be slightly translucent and going over the highlighted dark areas. I do not want to hide my previously established shapes, conversely I want to keep building upon each layer.

Much give-take is involved.

Brushes gradually get smaller as I keep working down to smaller and finer blocks. And this is the final step in the rough stage.

Now it goes to fourth step, which is the finishing details on the portrait; the fifth step is completing the background. All of this equals a finished portrait!

Portrait Painting - step 2

Acrylic paint, think I might skip this step in the future because I don't like acrylic paint...yet...and it seems like a pointless step. Oils are my favorite medium after pencils and charcoal. Cannot help it, been drawing since I was little so it will probably remain fondest in my heart.

Song today is Paper Aeroplane by Julia & Angus Stone BUT the featured video will be by Hey Ocean!

Portrait Painting step one - George

I'm using Anthony Ryder's approach - give or take - that observed on the Ryder Studio blog. Typically, I would not "draw-in" the foundational drawing so much, but did so this time to ensure an accurate portrayal of George. Erroneously, the first attempt a this portrait several months ago I just dove in and started painting, by which I learned the valuable lesson to always set a good foundation, otherwise frustration and waste of time and paint ensue.