Sheeba
 

Greetings. I have finally gotten around to finishing up an oil version of my favorite model, Sheeba. I don't normally do a portrait of anyone whose eyes I cannot see clearly reflecting light so this was different. I must have some strange addiction to challenging patterns as the pattern of her sari certainly was another uphill struggle. Leave it to me to approve of a sari with sequins.

18 X 24. Oil on panel.

The color isn't entirely accurate thanks to the red in her sari throwing everything off. It is close but not perfectly accurate.

Thank you for looking.

EDIT 8/31/05: I hated the background. I hated it from the beginning. Since we all know how incredibly impatient I am and since this was just for me I settled. Then I got a PM from someone very thoughtful who suggested it could be better. The suggestion went on to say the fabric "look" wasn't as believable as the subject. Well that validated what already bothered me so I decided to change it. Originally my thought was to do a simple background but I feel like I am always doing that so I didn't. Well, I should have stuck with my gut. I think this change has been an improvement and I hope you agree. How many of you were gritting your teeth at the original background? LOL. How many of you wished I had put this in the critique section? So, I hope you like the change. I am also adding another photo of the entire face in a separate post.

Thank goodness for the ability to amend posts, rethink artistic decisions and for fellow artists looking out for my professional growth.

Lisa,

Thanks to my galloping insomnia I get to be the first one to congratulate you on another stunning portrait. It seems that each one is more lovely than the last. I so wish I could see some of these in real life. They must be riveting.

Way to go. Janet

Beautiful!

Janet, you had me laughing hysterically. I have galloping insomnia as well! Thanks for the very nice words. You sure are eloquent in spite of your sleeplessness. Very kind of you.

Mary, good to see you! You must be insanely busy. Thank you for the compliment. I think Sheeba is a pretty lady.

Wow!!!!
 

Wow Lisa!
What else can I say!

Wow!
 

Lisa,

This is absolutely gorgeous. I love the skin tones! I just can't get over the detail on the sari. Sequins? You gotta be kidding! You even put the little holes in the middle of them. Yow, that would make me nuts (if I could even figure out how to do it). You are truly a master of detail. The fabric is as breathtaking as her face.

Is this a bridal sari she is wearing? It's beautiful. I adore the gold details.

Your fan,

I've been waiting for this one!
 

Lisa, this is even better than the last, I think, and the last one of her was breathtaking. This has a completely different quality. The two of them together would be an interesting diptych. This one fascinates me because her eyes are looking towards the shadow at something, not just staring into space, and she is amused by whatever (whoever) she's focused on. I love the mouth! And the sari is beautifully done, but you've captured that living quality in the face, without which no amount of sari detail would carry the portrait.

What does she think of the two portraits?

Alex

Lisa what a lovely refreshing break after the three business guys!

I can see why she is your favorite and the fabric is wonderful. Another winner. :thumbsup:

I feel better already
 

Hi again!

Claudemir, thank you so much. You are always so supportive. I hope you still like it after the major background adjustment.

Molly, I assure you that if you wanted you could certainly get stuck in the little details like I do but you are smarter than that. It's a compulsion. A sickness. A disease. Thanks though! It's nice to know the compulsion has a positive effect somewhere.

I think she did tell me this was one of her bridal saris. I think she had 3 of them! I wish I could paint her in all of them. They are the most elegant item of clothing I think. She had one that was white and was gorgeous. It weighed a ton and was heavy fabric. I don't know how she could stand it but boy was it beautiful. Now I am thinking I will ask her to model it too. I must be nuts.

Alexandra, whoa! You said so many nice things I wish I knew of a better way to say thank you than "thank you." Thank you-but I really mean it.

Sheeba is quite soft spoken and shy. She is kind beyond words. She is selfless and hard working. I really admire her. She is also quite naive but smart if that makes sense. I think this one represents her better than the last one that I did in pastel. I missed painting her eyes looking at the viewer but it is more like her. She was very complimentary about the first one but I think it was hard for her to say she liked a picture of herself. She hasn't seen the second one. I think she will like the softer background more so I am glad I changed it before showing her. Thank you again for your comments.

Elizabeth, thanks! Not to sound ungrateful for the corporate commission, but I much prefer this type of portrait. It certainly was a refreshing change of pace...twice, now that I have seen two different backgrounds on it. I do like painting her. She has a subtle beauty I think.

Here is a close up of the entire face. The other day I couldn't get a good photo because of glare.

Lisa,

This is absolutely lovely.

Im glad to see Im not the only one to change my mind about backgrouns. :D

Of course I do. That's so lovely.

Stunning!
 

Lisa, this is my favorite of yours. The fleshtones are breathtaking and the sari is amazing. I would not only love to see this in person, but I would love to see you work - how many hours (or few I should say) did you put into this?

You are soaring lately :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Very lovely, Lisa. The background change was an excellent move.

When you changed the background, did you need to a lot of adjustment to the skin tones?

Congratulations!

Kim, I immediately thought of you when I started to change it! I remember thinking I would never go to the trouble of changing a background when I saw your last thread but lo and behold, that was a famous last thought.

Claudemir, thanks. I'm relieved. It's certainly more subtle.

Patricia, wow, I appreciate that! I was very happy with the skin tones so hearing that makes me feel good. By all means, drop on by. I would love to meet you. Should I put the coffee on now?

You know, this one is my first experiment with glazing/scumbling (I'm still working on the true definitions of each). Except for the little bit more drying time it didn't take that long. I did an underpainting which I never have done, followed by a few layers for color. The underpainting made adding color insanely easy. I probably have a good full day of work into it but it came in stages over a few days. I LOVED this method. It really fits my natural tendencies to pick away at details, etc.

I'm not sure I am soaring but my great prayer is that I continually improve even if it's like taking one step backward and then two steps forward. I want my growth chart to look like a good year for the stock market.

Chris, great question! That was at the top of my list. I worried more about that than anything else since I didn't want to rework the face. I had a decent likeness and feared losing it. Reworking it too much made me nervous. This one was an excellent mini-lesson in color theory. I had to think about what I was going to put on there. I don't know how well it shows, but the background has a lot of (albeit toned down) warm orange-ish/reddish color in it even though it reads as a pale green in general. Putting that in prevented me from causing Sheeba to turn orange. It was shocking to see the results. I put the two photos together and was stunned at how different the backgrounds affected the skin. I was amazed to see that her overall skin tone continued to read the same way. I really think the orange addition (though subtle) did the trick. I had trouble photographing the first version as the background kept throwing it off but the second version is quite accurate. I think the skin tones look pretty natural in spite of the change. I never would have guessed it. I was sure I was going to have to entirely re-work the face but as it turned out I didn't. Great question.

Darn it, Chris, I was so excited by your color theory question I forgot to thank you for the compliment. Thank you very much. Your words mean a lot to me. You inspire me.

I love it, Lisa! I like the new background is much better, and I think the shadowed side of her face looks somehow even better now.

Would you mind telling me what you used as the underpainting? Was it monochromatic? Did you do use transparent shadows and opaque lights and let some of the underpainting show through or did you cover it completely? I ask because I did an underpainting a couple of times but ended up painting as I usually do on top, so I am not sure what affect the underpainting really had for me but I'd like to try again and be a bit more disceplined about it. :)

Okay, Lisa. You are already the Goddess of Pastels. Are you going for the triple crown here? (Not sure what the third one would be.)
This is lovely. The expression is wonderful. The sequins are amazing. The background is just perfect now.
What everyone else said times infinity. ;)

Hi Lacey. Thanks! Glad you like it better.

Yes, the background was monochromatic. I used a mix of sepia and white. If I remember correctly I threw in a tiny bit of ingigo (these are Holbein colors). The underpainting was very opaque but not thick. In fact it was quite smooth.

When I started applying color I oiled out first and then applied very thin layers of color starting with the shadow colors, moving to the mid tones. The paint application was almost transparent so the underpainting retained the values for me by showing through. I found this to make things so easy. As long as the underpainting is accurate in proportion and value you are in pretty good shape. If it isn't you are in big trouble. As I moved through the painting I worked my way to the highlights for the last and in my opinion most rewarding step. Eventually by adding additional layers of paint/medium, you do end up losing the underpainting to a degree but not until your final touches. It sounds like a tedious process but it really wasn't. I enjoyed it even as impatient as I am. Normally I am alla prima all the way but I am starting to like this method. I hope that answers your questions. Thanks again.

No really, go on!
 

Brenda, Goddess of Compliments, Master of Ego Stroking, what a gigantic and undeserved compliment! You almost had me convinced! LOL. But seriously, thank you SO much. I am totally relieved you like the background. I do like Sheeba's expression. She's so sweet. Sequins are a piece of cake. They were actually fun. I thought they would be hard to do but nah, they're pretty simple.

I am infinitely humbled by your comments. You made my day! Can I call you when I am having a rotten day? :sunnysmil

Wow from me too.

You are sooooo good.!

Lisa,
Not to say your three executives painting was drab, but it certainly pales in comparison to this beauty. I can't decide if I like this one or the one with her in blue better - they are both superb. The sequins really add a nice touch. You must have turned pro when you were 13.

By the way, about the background - 1000% improvement!!

Hmm, I feel funny saying this, but I liked the original background a lot more. Just kidding of course, I think it looks so much better and it brings the out the model. It's beautiful.

I wish I could have some super duper cool person PM me and be honest. lol.

Lisa--
Wow! Such a good decision on the background . . . glad to hear that you didn't have to rework the skintones :) This is absolutely stunning!

You can't possibly be impaitent!
 

Lisa,

Gorgeous painting. I laughed when you said you were an impatient person. Any one who can paint detail that well without it looking tight or overdone is not impaitent. The new background is perfect, great job!

Vianna Szabo

Tricia, you are soooooooo kind. Thanks for looking at my painting! Getting a "wow" is a lot of fun.

Heidi, it's okay. The executives as subject matter are understandably a little less excitiing. I know what you mean. I think Sheeba is interesting as a person and I like the look of saris. I am still waiting to turn pro in the sense I intend for myself but what a nice compliment. I am thrilled you like the new background. 1000% is a large improvement, yes?! Thanks again!

Jimmie, don't give me palpitations this early. I can't take it. Hey, glad you like the new background better. I agree that it helps keep the focus on Sheeba.

Who said that the person who PM'd me was super duper cool? I didn't say that. ;) I think I said "thoughtful." I reserve the word "cool" for guys who do incredible paintings of women named "Carissa." Oh wait, is that you? Thanks for taking a look at my painting and for your response(s).

Terri, that means a lot coming from you. I really admire your work. Thanks so much. I was relieved to not have to re-work that face. I might have given up. I think I really lucked out not having to adjust the colors. Putting orange in the background did the trick...this time. I bet I won't get to skate next time. Thanks again for the big compliment.

Vianna, thanks! I assure you I am insanely impatient. If I can't finish something in a day I get so annoyed. If I could paint with both hands I would do it. I have been accused many times of being too tight of a painter. I try to loosen up my work but I always end up back at the detailed and tight end again. I think I am destined to be that way so I might as well try to make it work for me. Sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees because I am so tightly focused on details. I think that happened with this one with the first background. I'm glad I made the effort to change the background and I am very happy you think it is better. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Hi Lisa -

I've admired both your sari women, and don't remember if I wrote to say so. I really love those beautiful skintones and the wonderful sari colors. I was SO impressed, even if it sounds silly, by the very realistic feel of the skin color variations around the mouth. For some reason, that was the "clincher" for me for both of these beautiful portraits.

A DAY!?? I think I'll just go hide under a rock for the next fifty years.

Hi Julie! Thank you! I've found that when I paint people who are not fair skinned caucasians I can see much more of the subtle skin colors. I know they are present in all of us but I don't see it as well in caucasians. There is a richness to Indian women's skin. It's often so smooth but has so many temperature changes. I just love painting them. Thank you for your supportive comments. I really appreciate it.

Michelle, too funny. No hiding necessary. Don't you dare! I have said many times I have the disease of impatience. That's my problem. It is a problem, not a skill. I have this frenzied pace when I work and almost as soon as I start I am bored to tears. Mind you, with this one I had to let the layers dry in between so I meant that ALL TOGETHER I have about 8 hours in it...but not in one sitting. If I could slow down and pace myself I might catch many more mistakes and produce a better product. I'll put that on my list of New Year's resolutions but maybe not next year. ;)

Lisa your simply awesome, in my opinion this is portrait painting at the highest level.

Lisa, this is just stunning. I love your skin tones and the sari is just beautiful. I would submit this to many competitions, because it's definately a show stopper.

I'm blushing
 

Hi Henry! Well if that isn't one of the nicest things you could possibly say, I don't know aht is but I woul dlike to find out some day! Thanks so much.

Enzie, goodness, thanks. I think I have said before that I have never entered a competition in my whole life. I would like to do it but it makes me a little nervous. You are very nice to suggest it. I just may give it a shot soon. Thank you again. I am happy you like the painting.

Whoa, Lisa! This is tooo goood! Every other compliment has been used already, and I 1,000% agree with everyone's accolades.

Enter this one in some competitions. You have just today, Labor Day and Tuesday left for the....

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Competition

......deadline, if you have not already entered (I just completed my entry submission). You may enter one work only. Do it!!!!!!

Anyway, how do you so lovingly render oil paints as though you were using pastels? I had to keep double checking that this is an oil. Those details are gorgeous!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Garth

I agree with Garth, Lisa.
DO IT!!!!!!!!

Yes!
 

Enter this portrait!

You can upload entries online. Piece of cake.

Garth, well thank you for the compliment! I am going to have to come take vocabulary lessons from you. You always seem to have such eloquent posts. I bet if you wanted to tell me the painting looked like dirt you would find a way of saying it that would make me proud to hear it. ;)

Thanks for the competition thoughts. We'll see...

Alexandra, thank you for your confidence. I'm getting closer to giving it a shot. It just seems to be too simple of a portrait for such a large competition. Hmmm.

Molly, thanks! Okay, the peer pressure is working. Hope I didn't insult anyone by callilng you peers. You are all so talented. Now I am thinking I might pop for the entry fee.

Thanks!

Simply stunning!

.....I gotta get back to work :exclamati

Thanks, David! What stunning piece are you preparing? I am holding my breath for your next one and I am about to pass out. Don't hold back. I can't wait!

Hello,
i have simply no words..It's beautiful. I think that the second background is better than the first..right choose.
I love the eyes and the dress specially, but I admire your softly and gently in this paint.

Luca, thank you so much for your thoughtful words. I am glad you like the second background. I think it makes it better so the focus is on the subject. She is a lovely person to paint. I am grateful for your comments.