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Advice please...
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Message
Posted
Hi oil painters,
I've started a new portrait yesterday by completing the background. I'm happy with the colour it's graduated, and the tones I want.
I tonked it fully, yesterday late afternoon. But it's not drying, this morning the paint comes off when I gently touch with a finger (I blame the dreaded Titanium).
I want to get cracking on it this week. Should I:
a) take a hair dryer to it
b) give it another day
c) Prep another one with much more thinner?
I don't want a halo around the figure, hence I don't want to add back ground afterwards. Maybe I should do c) anyway
Posted
Start a new on, keeping it much thinner, that’s what I’d do anyway!
Definitely cover the whole canvas, as you obviously do anyway, ( I detest cut-outs).
I generally use kitchen paper, decent thick stuff, for applying this initial ground, but I rub a lot off, because I’m after a transparent result, rather than a thick opaque ‘Rembrandt’ type of ground… Chiaroscuro style.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Yes, that’s rather good!
My advice is to keep the ground transparent, and then build it up as you progress with the portrait.
Treat it as though it is an integral part of the painting, not an afterthought…
I’m sure that’s what you do anyway!
Always best to keep well away from titanium white in your initial ground.
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
Don't take a hair-dryer to it - if it worked at all, it would crack; and probably it wouldn't work anyway. The only white I think it safe to use in initial layers is lead chromate - Cremnitz, Flake, whatever you can persuade one of several companies to sell you (and I think I've told you about them). If you can't get it - actually, Foundation White would be ideal - then avoid white altogether in the early stages.
Posted
The second one (really thinned out application) seems to have worked. My initial ground was on top of a greyed gesso, this time I went straight to canvas (canvas paper quad primed) so less need for white. At the same time I prepared a smaller sheet for practice, this has already taken some work on top without any lifting.
So all good so far, no doubt will be back with more tears in the week. Thanks guys!
Posted
Hello, Rhia. I didn't see your reply till now.
It's an idea I'll try when I go to my art group as I can make good progress on some of my trial pieces there.
I'm currently struggling with my skin tones on this piece. Beginning to think I'm colour blind.
I'm using a modified Zorn palette, and I'm mixing on a new grey paper palette (possibly too dark?) I'm using buff titanium instead of Titan. White. One minute it's all too light, then next it's too dark.
Still at least I'm out of the paralysis I had for 6 days. I so screwed up the smaller practice piece I used, that I was too scared to go to the proper portrait.
Portraits are a bugger, aren't they folks?
I may continue over the weekend with my usual white palette and white titanium...
Posted
Pale grey palette should work ok; my own is wood, covered now with scraped paint remnants - I used to clean the palette regularly, and thoroughly, but as the new paint goes in more or less the same place as the old, I can't be bothered: and to be honest, I don't think it makes much difference - though I wouldn't claim to be an experienced portraitist. When I go wrong with a portrait, it's always the mouth - all sorts of other things can go awry, and often do, but the mouth is the most mobile part of the face and tends to twist in characteristic ways: if you can catch one of those ways, you get a likeness; and if you can't, you won't. Photographs are hopeless, because invariably the subject is trying to smile - I'm not fond of smiling portraits, because they always look over-posed; but if you try to get a likeness from a smiling photo without showing the smile.... the difficulty is obvious. MUCH better to work from a real live person if you can.
The only other things I can add here are: just try to avoid all white, especially Titanium, in the early stages; unless you've got lead, the paint being so opaque leads to mud very quickly; and while I don't generally care for acrylic under oil, (Rhia's idea) I can see a use for that method with portraits - you can alter an acrylic until the cows come home, whereas you'd run into thick paint and scraping off or Tonking with oil; I think some artists used egg tempera back in the day for their preliminary work - well, I know they did, and indeed it was mentioned here recently; I've never tried either tempera or acrylic underpainting so far as I remember. Is the key maybe to do a lot of studies, in chalk, charcoal, whatever, until you've built up the confidence to commit to paint? R O Dunlop used to make studies with oil paint thinned with Turpentine before embarking on full oil on canvas - same idea, and worth doing.
A heartfelt "YES" to Norrette's question, a bugger is just what they are; some fine examples here on the Forum today though, and on the Gallery.
Posted
Thanks, Robert. It was the mouth that went awry in the test piece. So far the likeness is not lost on the main portrait, just the skin tones.
At our art group yesterday, I pulled out an old unfinished step by step portrait from TA, to practice on. That also was too yellow. But I corrected it, somewhat. I think there must be some yellow in the buff titanium, hence my return to the, I guess - bleached, version. You've reminded me I have another paler grey paper palette, a huge thing that I put away. Paper towels are a wonderful invention...(tonking) :-)
I have no choice but a photograph, but there's a few others I can use for reference, although not in a pose I like. I'd put my WIP up on here, but it's a public forum and I'm keeping it from friends and family until I'm happy with it. I've got rid of the arbitrary deadline I'd set myself, so I can always start anew if make a hash of it. That stops the paralysis!
Yes, I agree about the gallery. Costa's portrait is wonderful. Interested in his philosophy. The standard can be so very good on there.