Stages of a Portrait - London-

The 1st painting stage is the initial stage of sketch and under painting- Here I opted to use a combination of Ochre and Hansa yellow. This was partially influenced by the colouring of the subject and the overall temperature of the finished painting I was trying to achieve. I always try and have a sense of the emotional temperature I want at the end.

Painting Stage Number 2- is the piece "En Progree"
Here some of the tones and colours have been applied. But it is a long way from completed. The values have no life and the eyes are flat and two dimensional. I have begun to develop the nose, mouth area and chin.
At this point I am thinking about each choice and how it affects other elements. I do concentrate on sections but I am always mindful of the total affect - what do i want to emphasize. What do I want to camouflage. What do I want to reveal.




Painting  Stage Number 3- is the final portrait. Here I opted to maintain a truthful representation of the pallid values of the subject. The lip colour was not "boosted" for the purposes of the portrait as the subject does not apply lip colour in her life. The hair and eye colour are truthful values. The cropping was chosen to focus attention on the features. The direction of the gaze is both engaging and yet avoiding.

Painting Details:  Acrylic on Linen Canvas -  20 x 24 -  1 1/2 " Profile.