Closeup of a head

[William Whitaker]

Linda,

My flesh palette is usually:
Cremnitz white with some Permalba white mixed in
Ivory black
Gamblin's Asphaltum
Gamblin's Transparent Earth Red
Raw sienna
Raw umber
Yellow ochre
Cadmium orange
Cadmium red light
Ultramarine blue
Permanent Sap Green

I favor the highest quality pigs bristle filbert brushes. I mostly use #2, #6, #8. I like the filberts because I can do fine work with the edge of the brush.

Bill

[Michael Georges]

Bill:

Fabulous as always! Who is this gentlemen? Can you tell us?

[Linda Ciallelo]

Thank you for posting this. I love your work. I like the confident strokes perfectly placed. Your method makes sense to me. The only thing I can't do is paint a person from life. I simply get too worried about how uncomfortable they are, and I would hurry too much. My subjects are usually children, so I have learned to take decent photos.

[Linda Ciallelo]

I particularly like the color choices for these examples. I wonder if you might divulge the main colors for the skin and the predominant brush type and size that you are using?

Also, I wonder what thoughts you might have on the difference between a "portrait" and a "figurative" painting? How would one go about producing paintings of people that "strangers" would want to hang on their wall?

[Linda Ciallelo]

Thank you very much for your answers. Your palette is very close to what I was using, but I was missing a few. I have been using pig bristle rounds, but will try some filberts.

No thoughts on figurative vs. portraits? Or maybe it has been moved elsewhere. Thanks again.

Linda C.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Absolutely stunning!

William, did it take you long to develop (for lack of a better word) the nerve to be so bold in your painting strokes of color? Since I am the blending queen, I am so impressed how beautiful the touches of color work, yet still retain a sence of conservatism. Have you always painted like this?