Emma
20"x16" oil on panel (in-progress)

I have been commissioned by a local Teacher to complete a portrait of a his darling little daughter...cute as a button she is :)

Below is the reference photo given to complete this task. It measures 20"x30" and actually makes her head a bit over life-size.

The photo will have to be cropped and unnecessary items removed in order to accomplish and create a pleasing composition.
For future commissions, I will take my own photos, though photos are only a starting point and never the final answer.

A bit of Anatomy research will be necessary in order to render an accurate forearm, bicep and the rest of the arm, which is hidden behind that Bean-bag chair/garbage bag(?) in the foreground. One cannot just "Flub" these things in.
Completing the missing portions of the dress will call into play a bit of imagination and an exceptional little book I refer to often. Its entitled Drawing the Draped Figure by George B. Bridgman (Dover Publications) a republication of the 1942 book from the same company entitled The Seven Laws of Folds.

This painting will be rendered utilizing Classical Academic methods. The painting surface will be an un-tempered Masonite Panel which has been wrapped with Belgian Linen canvas. Several coats of Bonded Marble Gesso are then applied. This means I am no longer painting on canvas or board for that matter but actually Marble! This will allow for carving/scraping if needed for highlights etc., without damage to the surface. Below you will see the completed drawing. The Red and Green lines were used in the accurate reproduction and transfer of the image from photo to painting surface utilizing the grid-method of transfer. The grid method of image reproduction was taught and used by Masters throughout the Renaissance to obtain highly accurate renderings of their subjects. As students progressed in their training the Master would walk past and snap off one of the lines from the grid which was between them and their subject....until the students were able to obtain accuracy without the need of any lines at all...hence the term "with no strings attached!".
I also utilize it to assure that certain objects within the piece are exactly where they should and all guesswork is alleviated. The lines used to create the grid were completed using Pastel Pencils and will either be erased with a kneaded eraser in the background areas or in tighter areas around and within the form itself; disappear easily once oil paints are applied over them. With everything in the right place, I can now begin with the (Verdaccio) under-painting. This is a system that was used by Rembrandt and many Old Masters throughout the Renaissance and is in no way a speedy process, instead, a process that will allow the completed work of art to literally last for centuries and be handed down from generation to generation.
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Once the under-painting has been completed (which by the way simulates our venal system) some glazes may be applied and the flesh tones can then be worked on. After flesh tones are rendered, they are "rubbed out" with a finger-tip within the edges of shadows and in creased facial /body areas, before the paint is fully dry. This allows the gray/green color of the under-painting to show through thus creating a luminosity within the skin tones which seems to bring the subject(s) to life :)
I took the photo below out of doors in order to utilize natural lighting. Photos taken inside tend to yellow the subject and colors may appear distorted and otherwise inaccurate.

The photo below, on the other hand, was taken within my studio. The light I've got attached to my easel utilizes a Chromalux Full Spectrum bulb. This will assure me that my light-source is the same throughout each painting session and my color choices remain true and consistent.

I continue working on the Verdaccio until all of the values within the skin tones have been rendered correctly. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color.

The Holidays have ended and it's officially time to get back to work!
I've put in some more time on the under-painting, working a bit on the face today. I'll carry on with it in the morning and possibly get to rendering the garment undertones, along with her arms and hand. Then, once that has had a chance to dry, I'll take the board off the easel and flip it; so that I can work on the hair for a while, while viewing my reference photo and painting in-progress both...upside down.
I do this to utilize my analytical Left Brain and am no longer painting what I think I see but instead actually painting what I see. Utilizing my LEFT Brain instead of the Creative Right Brain is used often throughout the painting process and indeed helps to point out areas within the piece which tend to just "Stand out" as out of place either value-wise or compositionally. It's much easier for the mind to control brush strokes that are lured by various patterns and shapes, instead of a head-full of hair; which can be a daunting task and actually be quite overwhelming if looked at as a whole. This will be done of course while still striving to achieve and balance accurate values not only within her hair but also many other areas within the painting.
I've also been asked to add a bit of the volume of her hair, which I'll take on when I get a little farther along.

Alright, the Verdaccio is complete!
I do realize that to a lot of folks, the under-painting may seem like an unnecessary step, due to it being eventually covered with paint in the final steps. The under-painting is highly useful and acts as a road-map of sorts for the artist, in that it shows where particular values of colored paint should be applied. It also will be allowed to show through in certain areas, after the colors have been applied, as noted earlier by the rubbing off of color in key areas before the flesh-tones have had a chance to completely dry...creating a more realistic luminosity to the skin tones.
Below, you'll see I've glazed the background a nice (Burnt Sienna) Earth tone, which will allow the subject to become more three dimensional and "pop" once the flesh colors have been applied, though I'm not positive yet whether I'll be leaving it only one color.
There's still a short distance to go before calling this one completed but the summit is in view!
I've glazed the garment but find is is not the correct color and I'm not happy with it so removal of the glaze will take place with paint thinner. After finding that Magenta (straight from the tube) is the exact color of the dress, I decide to paint it on directly with solid paint instead of using glazes.
I've also, at the request of the client, added some volume to the hair, though now, after scratching in a basic style must go back and add various highlights and shadows within it. The various hair color values will come straight from the flesh palette, which I've prepared this past week.
Once the garment and hair have been taken care of, I'll begin adding flesh tones to the arms and hand first, then work my way toward the face and neck. The Artist must paint the areas surrounding the subject, before the subject, in order to keep the skin-tones true in value.
Here's a test: Paint a colored dot on a black background and then a light background, both identical in color...one will APPEAR darker than the other, though in reality, they are both identical in value, the background denotes the perceived value of the colors.

The Artist (Giving you an idea of the panel's size)

Here's a shot of her blouse after the initial application of Magenta.
It may seem quite bright now and in fact it does need to be toned down a bit, so as to not compete with Emma's face for center of interest duties. We'll review the possibilities once some skin tones have been applied.

A big decision and drastically childish background change. What the situation was, was that nothing within the painting is harmonious with her dress color and unless some of the same color is echoed into the background, the dress will be screaming for attention and that would be what the viewers eyes would be lead to first...and that's exactly what we don't want. I also know that Green is the complimentary color to Red, so I've added some playful Cadmium Green along with the Magenta to make it work together (harmoniously) with the dress. I'll also have to Grey the dress in areas that need to be pushed back.

Light valued objects in recession become darker and greyer in value. On the flip-side, Dark valued objects become lighter and greyer with recession. This is due to the vales of atmosphere and you can witness this yourself the next time you are able to witness a mountain range. The mountains that are farther away from you are no lighter (in reality) than those close to you, the atmosphere between the viewer and the object makes them appear so.
Continuing on, I may scumble/drybrush over areas of the background with a Dark Brown, to draw the eye to more readily toward the center of interest...Emma's adorable face. Here you see that beginning in the corners and afterward decide to continue toning down most of the background but still allow it to remain translucent, in order that all the playful colors previously applied will continue to show through.
I'm also constantly searching to create the most pleasing composition possible.
After all, I'm an artist, not merely a photo copyist.
I was asked to create a work of Art and that is indeed what I intend to do, create for them a quality piece of Artwork :)
*Please Note: Artwork of this caliber is not completed in a month or two and is not to be rushed.
I also would not be able to be accomplish anything nearly as fine, without the God-given instruction and guidance of Modern day Master Artist Frank Covino. I've learned more from Frank and his reflection of the accurate teaching methods of centuries ago. Methods and techniques utilized by Artists such as Rembrandt, Titian, Caravaggio for example and countless others.
These Classical methods have almost been left by the wayside and surely would be forgotten, if not for their preservation, through such selfless and knowledgeable instruction as is taught by Modern day Master Artists such as Frank.

Compositionally, by raising the height of the chair Emma is sitting in, it gives the illusion that she is smaller,
instead of looking like a giant sitting in a tiny chair...it's the only way I know how to explain it.
Here you see I did away with the parallel shoulders that had a sort of shoulder-pad look to them and opted for a much more pleasing and subtle "Swoop" as well as added to the dominant direction of the composition. The eyes are lead from the height of the chair, following the shoulders and to her elbow, which then leads the eye up her arm and to her hand, then straight into those precious joy-filled eyes.
More details to her dress have been added and it will be Grayed down further in the next step.

Here you see the painting and reference upside-down.
Again: That is because our subconscious minds have preconceived notions as to how things look. By rendering it while flipped, I paint what I see, not what my mind "thinks" it sees. Painting from the Left side of the brain, instead of the Right side or creative side. It is much easier to tackle difficult objects like hair in this manner. Adding some volume to her hair but still retaining the general tonal values and shapes. You can also now see what I meant by scumbling over the background with the same dark Brown as was used in the corners. It's lightly painted on and still allows the colors underneath to show through, giving it a nice playful feeling and more readily helps in the chore of keeping the viewers eyes with in the painting and where they should be, on Emma.

I also felt that the bright Blue flower on her dress (in the initial reference photo) also didn't match or compliment anything else within the painting. A few simple daisy's will do just fine in their place.
Here's where you can see how the dress was Grayed on its shadowed edges. It helps to push it back and turn the form. All edges of the human form are grayed at the edges of shadowed areas. I softened all edges of her form, as truly in life there are no sharp edges on the the human body, except when rendered with a camera. It is my job as the artist to correct the mistakes and falsehoods that are depicted through everyday photography. If the edges are all sharp, they will all look as though they are on the same plane and will ALL be in the foreground. The painting would appear "Flat"
The initial reference photo showed me a secondary light source and in a good composition there is only one dominant light source, one dominant color, in this case Flesh tones dominate, not Magenta, even though it has been echoed in the background Flesh tones can be seen within the hair values. Dominance of direction is also key and the reasoning behind my opting for the inviting "swoop" of the composition. The pleasing and natural highlight around her hairstyle lends to the illusion of stray hairs and little fly-aways. Mind you yes, I did paint several in but was not, nor is it advisable to paint every single hair on a head nor in the case of a house, draw every single brick and shingle or leaf on a tree for that matter. In the world of Art, Illusion is key.
Now with the painting completed, I'll wait a couple of weeks in order to assure myself that it is completely dry and then spray the painting with a unifying coat of painting medium. This will unify areas of the painting which may have dried flatter in brilliance than others.
The signature is also rendered as unobtrusively as possible, by using a dark value right off the flesh palette.

I hope you've enjoyed following me along in this journey and creation of a high quality portrait. Many areas of this painting were extremely difficult to complete and would be a serious challenge for ANY Artist no matter their degree of expertise.
In total, over 600 hours were put into its creation over a years time.
All good things come to those who wait and the parents of this lovely little girl understand the huge amount of work that went into it's creation. It WILL most assuredly stand the test of time and far outlast a standard painting on stretched canvas. Emma will be able to pass this on to her family one day and they may pass it on to theirs and so on and so on.
It'll be around for the next Two Hundred plus years continuing to smile at all who stop and fondly remember this moment in time.

God Bless You and be well ~
Jim

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