The last time we talked about my art endeavours, I had just entered on a new era – I like to think – in my experiments with portraiture. I was finally developing some finesse, and getting more adventurous with my technique. Since then … well, it’s been more of the same. I can’t say that I’ve noticed another significant “leap” in my abilities, but I trust that I am slowly improving because that’s the beauty of practice. Even when you don’t know it, you are learning. At least, that’s what I’m telling myself.
Before I talk about the new direction I’m taking with my portraits, here’s a quick round-up of some you haven’t seen:
So, where am I going with this? Portrait commissions. This approach addresses a couple of ongoing issues. One, storage. I don’t have room at my house to keep accumulating canvases; people tend to want to keep their own portraits which means that my work output has a ready-made home waiting for it (assuming its subject likes it). Two, subject matter. The longer I keep at this, the more I realize that I am especially drawn to unique, interesting faces. Is it weird to say that I find real-life models to be more diverse and interesting than models in magazine spreads? I think the lack of air-brushing alone is more helpful to me as an artist. I don’t want my paintings to look like anime drawings, if that makes sense, which is what tends to happen when I am working with an inspiration photo that has been heavily Photoshopped.
As a side-note, I pause here to mention that social media photo filters are just as bad. I know everyone uses them when taking selfies – I’m guilty as charged – but they render those images pretty much useless to me as a painter. They typically bleach out the colour and shadows from the face which, while certainly dewiness-enhancing, makes for a really boring painting. That’s not something I ever thought I would complain about, but there you have it.
Anyway, commissions.
They’ve been fun but also a challenge. Painting a famous person (who will never see your work) is one thing; painting someone you know, and who will most definitely see and have opinions about your work, is another thing. Likeness matters a whole lot more. As someone who is not very good at drawing, it’s a bit nerve-wracking. I’ve learned a lot in a short time about how much of a difference very slightly changes to the proportions of a face can make. Half an inch of jaw or nose or forehead can make or break a portrait. Sometimes I think I’m on the right track at the pencil drawing stage – which is mostly just a broad outline – only to realize about 2/3 of the way into the painting that I’ve gotten the eye placement wrong, or something equally disastrous. Acrylic painting is forgiving up to the certain point – I have shortened or lengthened noses and eyebrows with some regularity – but at some point you have to admit defeat. Luckily, so far, I think I’ve been able to sell some of my lapses as “artistic license”. More practice is called for.
Here are some of my commissions so far.
This is the lovely Nicole, the wife of one of my co-workers.
I was drawn to this photo because of the lighting and soft shadows – it had a lovely, dreamy feel. While my version is brighter and contrast-y, I think I captured the romantic vibe of the original.
This is Teagan, whom I recently met through our local IG community.
This is Erin, a former co-worker.
Next, I tackled a real challenge: children. And not just any kids, but my own. The artist in me battled the mom, whose exacting standards for getting a good likeness were tough to meet. I did these portraits as a Xmas present for my father, who is impossible to shop for. Kids, like hands, are the toughest subject matter I’ve tackled yet. Their faces have different proportions, their skin is different … it’s all different and difficult. Sigh. I managed to pull off 2 pieces that I can live with, but I won’t lie – I’ll be happy to go back to painting adults.
Here’s to many more portraits in the new year, learning new techniques, getting better, dreaming bigger.
