Waiting for a Call, soft pastel on Sennelier La Carte, (61x48cm)

Heather Harman discusses the importance of the right background to enhance your portraits of people.

Painting portraits

Portraiture is one of the oldest subjects in the history of art and prior to photography it was the only way to record a likeness.

It is subject to the same principles of good painting practices as a landscape or still life. It needs to be composed well and to be tonally correct, be in perspective and have a strong, identifiable focal point: the face and head. In any successful painting, the background and the foreground are seamlessly linked and work together to strengthen the focal point. The only way to achieve this in portraiture is to plan the background at the beginning.

There are three questions to ask before you begin to paint:

1. Does this portrait need a background? Adding a background just for the sake of it is worse than not adding one at all.

2. Would the portrait be better as a pastel pencil drawing or a full pastel painting?

3. What type of background is needed? Important decisions are being made right now. More importantly, big mistakes can be avoided, as you have a clearer idea of what you are out to achieve.

Portrait drawings

The portrait of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (above) is an example of a pastel portrait drawing in Conté a Paris Sanguine.

Sanguine is one of the oldest media for portraiture, which traditionally doesn’t need a background. However, the indication of a window in this portrait was purely a design decision, as I wanted to include a geometric idea behind the rounded forms of the portrait and body. In fact, the portrait would have been fine without the indication of a background, but I think the background gives the drawing added depth.

Backgrounds really come into play when you extend into a colour palette, whether you choose to approach the portrait as a portrait drawing or a full-colour painting in pastel. For portrait drawing, the most successful backgrounds come out of using the same medium as the portrait. I often come across good pastel pencil portraits by students, which are ruined by the addition of a soft pastel background.

Pastel comes in a variety of forms and they are not all made equal. There is a massive difference in the pigment ratio in a pastel pencil to that in a soft pastel stick. There is far more binder in a pastel pencil and the overall effect is of thinner coverage than you will achieve with soft pastels. So, the last thing you want in your portrait is to have a heavier pigmented, richer background that overshadows your focal point, the face.

My choice when using pastel pencils for a portrait, which I usually do if I’m working on a small portrait, is not to add a background at all.

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Soft pastel painting

In a soft pastel painting you are dealing with the same painting principles as you would with any opaque painting medium. The background is an intrinsic part of the painting – and to treat it is an afterthought is as senseless as treating a landscape sky as an afterthought. In fact, painting skies is a great exercise for developing your backgrounds, as the same techniques are used for both. Paint more still lifes, too, as your backgrounds might benefit from the addition of objects, such as a portrait of children with their favourite toys.

Traditionally, backgrounds were the area of the painting where the subject could show their status in the world, by the addition of tools of their trade or other important props, which tell the story of the person in the portrait. It is an approach I still use on occasion, including the painting Waiting for a Call, (see demonstration below).

Demonstration: Waiting for a Call

Here I demonstrate how to work towards a fully harmonious background. The background is tonally assessed against the focal point of the painting (the portrait). It is constructed within the same colour palette as the focal point. Elements of the background and the foreground are harmonious, as the same colours are used in both the background and the foreground. Throughout the painting, I was aware of my ultimate aim, which was to give an impression of light hitting the figure by a window.

Step 1

1. Here you can see the idea of the placement of the portrait with the first blocking in of soft pastel. I was interested in developing the portrait to a level where I could then leave it and concentrate on the background. I made sure all the elements of the composition were in place, including the loose sketch of the dog.

2. I placed a palette of colours used in the portrait in a separate box. From that palette I developed a palette for the background to ensure the background colours would be reflected in the skin to create colour harmony throughout the painting. The lighting is very important; I am fascinated by how light falls on the body and the patterns it makes.

Step 2

The background was the main area of development, along with defining the tabletop.

The layering of the background and keeping it in tune with the skin tones can be a longer process than most. I used a number of layers, beginning with the harder brands of soft pastels like Rembrandt. This adds layers of colour without too much pigment and chalk, which are found in the softer brands of pastel.

I then changed to Unison, which is my go-to pastel for most work. At the same time, I worked in darker colours then added the mid tones then the lights.

Step 3

Here you can see the change I made to the tabletop and a further development to the light effect in the background.

The light from the left of the painting ties the whole composition together.

I added Leanne’s lilac top, which was white but, given the prevailing light effect, I chose lilac. This is also the colour complement to the gold in the background and in her hair.

The background was also painted in glazes of purples and golds, which further unified the subject with the background.

The final element of the background was yet to be added: the vital piece of still life, which gives meaning to the painting’s name.

Step 4 - The finished painting

Waiting for a Call, soft pastel on Sennelier La Carte, 24x19in. (61x48cm)

Like most teenagers, Leanne is never without her mobile phone and her keys. It seemed the natural thing to do whilst she sat for sketches and photos – waiting for her boyfriend to call – that they should be part of the picture.

For the phone and keys, I took photos in the right light and added them before finishing the portrait of Mojo, the spaniel.

About Heather Harman

Heather is passionate about pastel painting and launched her Pastel Painting Academy back in 2016.

Discover more by visiting her website, www.heatherharmanartist.com