Freja
 

This is a small study I made today.

It is oil on copper and the size is 11 x 9" / 29 x 22 cm

Oh, Allan, it is delightful!

I've never worked on copper, but would love to learn more about the whole process - by any chance did you take any photos of the in-process work? If not, would you next time?

Delightful and so full of life! I love the bold composition and brushwork too.

Garth

I love it!

Beautiful, Allan. Looks so effortless. I would also like to try copper one day.

I can see this one day being in a nice big coffee table book about contemporary Danish masters.

The combination of copper and green in the background is just gorgeous. I had never heard of painting on copper before but I am very interested, please share more info. What sort of treatment (if any) did you give to the plate before painting? Are you concerned at all about the exposed copper oxidizing and changing color? Are you going to apply a varnish to it (maybe this would solve the problem)? Any historical precedence (that you know of) of artists painting on copper? (Just wondering how it holds up over time). Did you find it a more difficult surface to paint on? I would think it would be so slick. Does it take the paints longer to dry? Do you have more examples with different color combinations? So many questions!

I am going to be digging through my things today to see if I have any un-used copper plates from the intaglio days. Ugghh! How I have missed you copper!

A beautiful and intimate portrait. Well done!

David

This is a wonderful portrait. I especially love your handling of oils on copper in this instance, love that it is an important part of the overall work and that it really, really works!

Allan it is beautiful!

Thank you, all :) :) :)

Painting on copper is quite uncomplicated.

First I fixed the copper plate to a fiberboard panel with a stabble across each corner of the copper plate.

Cleaned the surface with turpentine and tissue and then scumbled over the whole panel with undiluted paint using a bristle brush. This made a foundation suited for further application of paint.

Then some marks for drawing and impasto paint.

I once before tried to paint on copper, but thinned the paint too much. Thinning is a no no because the copper is non absorbent. That time I gave it up without a fight.

I don't think that oxydation will occure when the copper plate is varnished.

Rembrandt and others have painted small pictures on copper. They seems to be in perfect condition.

Allan,

The thing I like best (and there are many things I like) about your work is that you obviously enjoy the feel of the paint and the surface. In this sketch of your granddaughter it seems to me that the feel of the paint and your feeling for her are connected, so that they are expressed together. The blues and greens are wonderfully rich, I guess because of the copper showing through. Her skin glows in contrast. It reminds me a little of Sargent's oil sketch of his sister Violet, I think because of the brushstrokes and something around the eyes..

Thank you, Alex,

how did you know that I had Sargent in my mind, or rather Clayton's explanation of Sargent's method ?

It's a nice painting of Violet and I see what you mean about the similarity of expression.

I can see how he laid in the opaque paint at first and then dragged a large dry brush over it to model the edges and drag one value into another as can be seen on the left side cheek and neck.

I started with laying inn the two medium values, a dark for the hair and a light for the face and neck, then modeling the big shapes of the head before painting the features.

Since I had to use the paint right from the tube, like I understand Sargent did, I might as well give the method a try.

You are also right that I enjoy the painting process and think that the paint structure is as important as the illusion.

The background was darker at first and I decited to lighten it. While shoving around with the lighter value I saw the copper coming through and liked the combination.

Simply wonderful, Allan!

Nice work Allan. Definitely "Sargentesque".

Thank you, Tom and Mike, for the nice words. :)

It's also a pleasure to watch whey you show your works.

That was great. Masterfully done.

Bonfim, thanks :)

I tried once more, just for practice.

Beautiful again, Allan! It is amazing how the artist can say something different using the same reference over again. I am assuming this a study for the portrait of your daughter and children.

Thanks Alex,
Yes, this is a sort of study for the large painting of Janni,Thor and Freja.

Chris asked for photo's from the process and I was a little annoyed with the alignment of the features, the eyes.

So here is from the extra round!

I described the process earlier, but if anyone have questions to the demo, please ask.

Demo

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.