Nick Park CBE

I've never heard of painting on copper. What effect does it have on a painting? I assume there won't be any problems with the copper oxidizing since it would be completely covered with paint and therefore air excluded.

Hi Diana, copper doesn't rust, that is why they use it for water pipes. Copper was very popular as a support about a century ago, also there is an Artist called Lucian Freud who used it quite a lot, one of my favourite paintings was a very small portrait of his friend Francis Bacon that has been missing for ten years, if you find it there is a reward for £100,000 so let me know :)

Thanks for taking the time to look and comment on my oil portrait. I can see exactly what you mean now about the red hair having a better impact against a paler background but I was so intent on trying to get the face right I lost sight of everything else. I have since amended this painting slightly by putting shadow on the back of the hat in the real image and by altering the face slightly in the reflected image. It always bothered me that the eyes and head were at a slight angle to the right ( as I look at it ) whilst the nose and mouth appeared full on frontal. It's slightly better than it was but I don't think I'm ready for any porttrait competitions just yet !!

Sorry , ran out of space prattling on, meant to say I love the skin tones in this portrait to. Makes you feel that if you touched the canvas it would feel warm just like real flesh. Thanks again for the advice and encouragement, you never know I might even attempt a second portrait in oils !!

Thank you for your reply. I didn't mean that the copper would rust but that it would get verdigris if it wasn't totally covered. How does it react with the paints and their effect? I'm at a loss for words on this one.

Hi Val, for a first attempt your portrait is amazing! Here is a link to one of my favourite red hair portraits by an artist called Stuart Pearson Wright http://www.thesaveloyfactory.com/paintings/images/large/gingerlady.jpg it's not a very complimentary portrait but it does make full use of the dramatic colouring. I don't think the shadows are important but if you start to add shadows in one area you should try to be consistent. I also think that some of the discrepancies between angles actually add charm to the work, I've always loved the Van Gogh portraits of Dr Gachet http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/portraits/gachet/gogh.gachet.jpg where he straightened the features even though the face was on an angle. Thanks again for your encouraging words.

HI Diana, there are some problems with the copper turning green if exposed and it has been known to react with cobalts, it is recommended to paint a thin layer of white over the copper to begin with, then if there is any reaction it will be uniform. Having said that, copper is a far more stable support than canvas or wood and every oil on copper I have seen in Museums looks as if it were painted yesterday. I began this with a thin layer of linseed oil that I allowed to dry fully, as I wanted to leave areas of the copper showing through as a ground. Copper will also darken if exposed to great heat. If you want to try painting on copper you can buy it from etching suppliers, this piece was actually one of my etching attempts before I sanded the copper back for the painting. Thanks so much for your comments.

Thank you Vincent, yes that's what I was wondering and whether it reacted with any of the paints. You have described it extremely well. I do use acrylics so maybe one day will be tempted to try it on copper, just can't get to grips with oils. I thought that the green tones I was seeing on his forehead may be the copper coming through very effectively.

Oh boy that Stuart Pearson Wright portrait isn't at all flattering is it? LOL (I speak as a once ginger haired lady) but the contrast with the bluish red tones of her skin is so effective.