demo / detail

Thanks so much for that WIP, Allan! Fascinating to see. The alignment of the eyes is so hard to get from that angle. I struggled with that same thing in my portrait Ebony Mouse, of my daughter. She's tilted about the same degree. Even though I know her very well, it must have taken me four or five wipe-outs before I got the alignment correct.

Allan ,

Thanks for your new postings as a WIP...thanks for taking the time.
I noticed in your explanation earlier that you just wiped the surface with turpentine and then proceeded to scumble the surface with your primer (correct?)...there was no need, then, to sand the surface before applying the primer? Did you apply more than one layer of primer? What did you use as a primer?
I have read that copper is extremely stable if kept indoors and paintings done on copper retain its freshness for a really long time. I once saw a small Rubens painted on copper in a private collection and it was amazing how it looked like it was painted last week.

Your second version is even better! The eyes look perfect. You are going to produce a very fine group portrait!

Carlos, thank you for responding.

About the primer.
I washed the surface with terpentine to get rid of any fingerprints and dust. The copper I used was new but had been exposed to air, light, dust and acid from the fingers, when I washed it it became like new.

I don't think that sanding is a good idea sinse the stripes from the sandpaper will show through thin areas. Linseed oil paint will adhere to copper if the copper is clean from the start.

I then scumbled over it with a stiff, right from the tube, oil paint of a similar color as the copper, or a little more greyish.

This is not a real priming, like someting that chemically grip the surface and then dry before further progress. It is just so that I have a foundation to paint into, wet into wet.

It is important to NOT thin the paint with TOO much turpentine because it will dissolve the paint already on the painting and make a slippery soup, because the copper is non absorbent. This is also a good thing sinse it is easy to wipe the paint off when you mess up details ;)

But if you have to paint on it when the first layer is dry I guess that it will be like any other painting surface.

Man, both pieces are great!
I like the drawing of the second head, but I prefer the neutrals and background of the first one.
But, they are both lovely, they will hang beautifully on your walls.

Two little girl faces on copper
 

I love this painting too. I can see however, that you have made progress from the first to the second one in terms of rendering her face. So I definitely prefer the second, it is more lifelike and fluid to me.

Thanks for suggesting that I look here; I look forward to whatever else you have to say.