Dan
 

This is the underpainting for a portrait I am working on.

Oil on Canvas, 24" x 18"

Critiques, comments? Digital demonstration OK.

Reference photo
 

Here is the reference photo.

Underpainting -- later
 

Here is the current state of the underpainting. I am reaching the point where I don't know what to do to improve it.

Hi Chuck,

I think the reason that you're not getting any replies to this post is because we are waiting for somebody who works in this underpainting/glazing technique to jump in. In the meantime, I think you have done a fine job with a good photograph. However, I think you have straighted out the tilt in his head. If you place a ruler under the corner of the eye to our right you'll see that you've brought down the other eye in the drawing for your underpainting.

It strikes me that one of the nice things about the underpainting technique is that you can make this sort of drawing change quite painlessly, before you've added color or (possibly) texture to the surface.

Best wishes,
Linda

Hi Linda,

Thanks for your response. Actually, the whole picture is rotated a little. I took a new vertical for the painting through the line of the doorknob and deadbolt that are in the bacckground of the photo. That said, I could well have gotten the angle of the line of the eyes off; I'll chek it this evening.

After all that, the pose of the photo actually feels more stable to me than that of the underpainting. If I had it all to do over, I would have left the angle alone.

Your narrow range of value is good...except that some of the shadows in the shirt are slightly too dark at this stage.

I cannot see this closeup but be sure that you eliminate texture in an underpainting...that comes in the upper layers.

To clearly define areas of general light and general shadow and to determine composition is the main purpose in an underpainting.

Don't forget to lose some of those edges at this stage - it is a very important part of your composition.

Karin,

Thank you for your suggestions; I'll work on incorporating them tonight. Thanks especially for the reminder to lose edges; I think that, when I am trying to capture a likeness, I have a tendency to forget that I am creating a painting rather than copying a photograph.

Lose edges
 

Dear Chuck,

I posted in another forum about losing edges earlier today. Be sure to let the flesh at the hairline break that hard line of the hair. Also, the left side of the shirt by the arm has a dark line all the way down. The original photo has matching values near the armpit. I think that sometimes because we "know" that "this is the line of the shirt" that we draw it and paint it that way without realizing that the light would never stop dead like that.

I tell my students that the darks that we make are like rivers and that the light on either side of the dark shadows are the "land". Now, how does one get across a river? Either a bridge or stepping stones is the answer. Your photo proves that there are bridges of light (diagonal patterns of light) from the arm to the chest and I know by observing other pictures that I have seen of yours that you would put this in on your finished piece. But I think that it is important to always block these things in perhaps even when doing the underpainting. I think that you have a great start here.

Your paintings are really wonderful and I greatly admire your talent.

The only other thing that I would say is that the eye on the right seems to have a larger orbit than you have painted. Using the clock face as an example, in the photo the eyefold line is going from 3 or 4 o'clock on it's right to about 10 or 11:00 on it's left and you have painted it from 3 or 4 to 9 or thereabouts. Change that line and I think that you will be very happy with the likeness factor. But as I said before, I am very enamoured with your work and I know when this gets finished that it will look like him. You are brave and very very good. :)

I hope to have some pictures up soon for you to critque for me also. :)

Underpainting - even later
 

Hi Celeste,

Thank you for your suggestions and your words of encouragement. I have made changes in the underpainting to include your input.

Here is the underpainting as of today.

Underpainting close-up
 

Here is a close-up view of the head.