Margaret van Eyck Step 1

Comments

Login or register to add a comment

No comments

The following is a demonstration of how I completed the portrait, after Jan van Eyck's original oil painting, in acrylics of Margaret van Eyck, his wife . For further details please see my website at www.BallantineArt.co.uk. When starting a project like this the first task is to obtain a good clear copy of the picture you want to copy. In this case I obtained mine from the internet and I printed off two A4 size copies, one in black and white the other in colour. The reason for this is that to do the actual drawing I find it easier to work in black and white and when doing my initial drawing it helps me plan where I want shadows to lie but more of that later. The colour copy is of course my main reference for when I actually get round to applying the paint. Once you have your picture you need to square it up as an aid to copying. Whatever size of square you use, and in this instance I used 4cm x4 cm, your canvas must have the same number of squares across and down as the picture you are copying from. Whilst this is a little bit tedious it is worth spending time ensuring your lines are straight as at this stage any deviation can result in a skewed picture. Once completed, however, all you then need to do is copy as much detail as you feel you need from the main picture into the grid as shown. As you will be working in acrylic the strength of your pencil lines is not important as the paint being opaque will cover them.