Baby Johann

Julie Gerleman · 02-05-2005, 11:00 PM

Hi there!

This 9x11 portrait of Johann is the first oil baby portrait I have done. So far, it's going pretty well, considering I am still learning the ins and outs of my new Finepix S7000 and the final photograph his parents and I both agreed upon has some very distinct contrasts (still learning about lighting and photography, too!) I'm happy with the way the foundation is laid out and feel that the drawing and details are strong so far. But due to the photograph, I find it necessary to fudge some of the color details and to even out the contrast just a bit. I would say I am 3/4 of the way there, meaning this is the perfect time for me to welcome any insights, digital manipulations or observations any are willing to offer. Thanks so much, in advance, for your time.

Alice Leggett · 02-06-2005, 01:06 AM

Hi Julie;
I think the portrait is going well so far! I like to adjust the photo in Photoshop. I selected the highlights with the magic wand and darkened them, also added yellow for warmth (in the variations menu). Then I selected the rest of the face and lightened the shadows. Also, I feathered the selections 6 pixels before making the changes. That makes a soft transition. I hope it helps you finish this cutie. (Or should I say Kewpie Doll?)

Terri Ficenec · 02-06-2005, 01:23 AM

Hi Julie,

Your reference photo is extremely contrasty, and has a large area of white out (There is no detail in the white areas even if you darken the image.) This makes it problematic to work from. In the image of your painting that you've posted, I think you've got a patch on the forehead and into the eye area that is too dark because you are following this poor reference too closely (or having a hard time adapting it). In the attached, I used the histogram function in Paint Shop Pro to swing the middle values MUCH lighter. This may help some, but still doesn't help the white out problem on the bright side of his head. (In reality I'm sure you'd see distinctions there that help define the form.)

When you work from a faulty reference like this, it makes a lot of extra work, guessing at what it really should look like... it is so worth getting a good reference in the first place!

Good luck with this--

Julie Gerleman · 02-06-2005, 11:01 AM

Thanks, Alice and Terry. I guess I'll have to learn photoshop or just get better at taking photos (I'll bet there's tons of info already posted that can help me there). This helps immensely for the shadowed areas and I guess I can probably find other photos in the lot I took that will help inform me about the highlighted areas. But this already makes a huge difference -- thanks.

Patricia Joyce · 02-08-2005, 09:59 AM

Julie I like what you have started and am interested in watching the progression.

And I think I need to go to school to learn Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. How do you two DO THAT???

Alice Leggett · 02-08-2005, 12:23 PM

I think PhotoShop is essential for portrait artists. My 30 years as a graphic artist, the last 16 on the computer, have helped to learn photo manipulation. I compose photos together, change backgrounds, resize and move elements around, manage cropping, color, value and sometimes detail issues before picking up a brush! Furthermore, I like to show the client the results of the computer layout for approval before painting. Saves revisions at the end of the project! Most of what I've learned about PhotoShop has been by just doing it, but there are one-day workshops and books by Scott Kelby (http://www.photoshopuser.com/) and I'm sure some local classes at colleges and private institutions, as well as online tutorials. I'm happy to answer questions if anyone on the forum needs help.