Christina

Christina. This woman is amazing and was the most fun to paint. The glasses were a great challenge as they are made of two differently colored plastics that are swirled together and which have very subtle shadings. And, to top that off, the greenish-blue color is one of those colors that seem to balance on the head of a pin between two strong colors and is nearly impossible to mix. I spent more time on that color.

I do work from photographs when painting portraits, generally, because most people are far too busy to sit for the time required. If they insist, I double the price due to the hassles of moving equipment and the extra time spent getting a likeness. Mainly, I insist on using my own photos which are carefully bracketed for exposure to ensure proper and accurate shadows and highlights.

Like a portrait where the subject sits, I sketch the portrait onto the surface with raw umber. I use my brush handle to measure and compare distances and to examine angles. I build up planes with swaths of color in the general area of hue and value going from large to small. One thing I've noticed is that if I finish the eyes first, it makes the rest of the painting much easier to complete conceptually. I feel that the personality helps guide my hand.

12x12 oil on MDF