Odilie...

I began a new portrait around ten days ago and thought it would be good to include a write-up to show a more in-depth look at the process I followed. The model is a friend of mine from work named Odilina. She posed for some portrait photographs a few months ago so I could have some new reference material for future work (a different photo of her was added to the Fine Art Photography portfolio earlier). She has no idea I'm developing a finished painting from one of the images so if anyone from work sees this post please do not tell her about it. I don't want her to find out until it's finished. With that said, let's begin the write-up...

I began by stretching medium weight cotton canvas (primed with white acrylic gesso) over wooden stretcher bars. I always use Dick Blick Heavy Duty Stretchers and would recommend them to anyone who requires a sturdy foundation or those of you who like to display finished pieces unframed. There are many tutorials online for stretching canvas so I won't bore you with a step-by-step but if anyone wants me to go over the process I would be happy to (just leave a comment below asking for a step-by-step). After being stretched I covered the canvas with Liquitex neutral gray heavy bodied acrylic. This was watered down by actually pouring about a tablespoon of warm water (not hot) onto the center of the canvas and using a painter's rag to blend the two together. It doesn't take much paint to get a uniform consistency on such a small canvas (16 x 20). After a minute or so of gently blending I was left with this.

I left this to dry for about a half hour (it doesn't actually take this long but I like to give it extra time). Then, taking a stick of vine charcoal I began laying in the rough contours from the photograph. I have to say that using vine on canvas feels pretty incredible. It is very forgiving, allowing you to quickly fix mistakes with a tissue or quick wipe of the finger. I also use various paint brushes to help correct my contour as I move along. After about an hour and a half I had this drawing complete with some very rough guidelines as to where the major shadow areas fall.

At this point I suggest you leave and go do something else for a bit. After a while come back to it with fresh eyes and take the image in for what it is. Does anything stand out as wrong? Is one side tilted/uneven? Is the balance off somewhere? How about the features. Were they drawn according to your reference or are they generic representations? These problems happen with everyone at some point (I make lots of mistakes with each painting). The reason I bring this up now is that it is much better to take this opportunity to fix the major problems now than to try to fix them with paint (like what happened with the previous painting that I am still working to fix). It is also good to always remember that, as the artist, you have the right to make any changes you like. This, however, is not an excuse for poor draftsmanship. Taking artistic liberty with a piece is fine as long as the changes are intentional. Take the time to make each piece something you are proud of. Art isn't supposed to be easy but it can be rewarding.

When satisfied with the drawing I used Gamblin burnt sienna oil paint thinned excessively with Gamblin Gamsol odorless mineral spirits to loosely trace my line work. Keep in mind that the brands I am mentioning are only to suggest one option to you. There are many quality brands available both in stores and on-line. I use burnt sienna because it is very warm and plays well with the raw umber I mix with ivory black for monochromatic work. The important thing is to use a very lean pigment for this step as we are only blocking in the main form and don't want too much oil at this stage (remember fat over lean, always). I normally tone down the lines I paint at this stage by lightly dabbing them with my finger so they are easier to cover with future paint layers (a soft edge is much easier to hide than a hard edge). After ten minutes we have this.

I let this dry overnight even though is is likely dry to the touch after an hour or so. The next day I take a painter's rag and lightly rub the charcoal off the canvas to reveal the painted block-in.

I place the reference photograph in line to the left of my canvas since I am right handed (left handers place to the right). I begin by mixing ivory black and raw umber (roughly a 4-1 ratio). I then add a small drop of flake white replacement (Gamblin brand) to the palette. Here I show a simple value strain but I don't normally do this. Most of the time I mix the black mixture with white according to whatever area I am currently working on. During these early stages I use Gamsol (O.M.S.) to thin the paint for an almost scrubbing consistency.  I also show a variety of brushes, both filbert and flat as well as my very well used filbert that has become my go to brush.  I try to always remember to use the biggest brush size I can and leave the smaller detail brushes for later stages.  It not only speeds the process of getting paint down but it helps me work in the larger, more general areas of tone before concentrating on the more specific plays of light and shadow.  

Here are some shots from the initial buildup.  

Laying in a dark shadow to help gauge other areas on the face.

Finding initial values for other areas using the shadow above as a guide.

Closing any gaps and smoothing some transitions.  The paint is so
thin at this stage that it is very easy to pull one area into another which
can be good or bad depending on how careful you are.

First pass of thinned paint (1 part linseed oil, 1 part Gamsol, 1 part stand oil).

Refining some areas, making small corrections here and there.
A dark band is painted where the hair meets the left side of her
face to help gauge value placement.  Some areas, such as the eyes
and ear, are left very simple at this point.  They will come later.

Still needs a lot of refining but painting in some of the hair helps to judge the
effectiveness of the facial contours (the play of light and dark across the form).
At this point I have begun adding some highlights to the hair to build volume.  These
areas are very rough and need to be dialed down but, at the moment, help
me position everything where it needs to be.

I will add to this post once more is completed.  Thanks for stopping by...