THE PAINTING PROCESS
Most painters are familiar
with these steps.
I create a rough outline. I use a
wash of Burnt Umber and white,
making sure that I am happy with
the overall proportions outlined.
While many portrait painters leave
the background to last, I consider
that it is vital to achieving what I
call a ‘colour pace’ for the painting.
In other words, it will dictate what I
do to the rest of the work. I tend to
use dark colours from my palette of
black, white, primary blue, French
Ultramarine, primary yellow, primary
red and Cadmium Red Dark.
When dealing with the body and
clothing, I paint the principle facial
features first and then move to the
neck, hands and feet (as necessary).Lastly, I paint the details. Often
the paint already applied has
had a chance to dry, and I want
the details to be definite. I also
want the detail work to display
confident brush strokes.THE CRITICAL REVIEW
Before submission of the completed
work, I decide whether I have
achieved my goal with respect to
my original intention. This can be a
hard step because often one is tired
after such hard concentrated work
and it can seem a bit dispiriting to
have to alter the work. At times I
seduce myself into believing that ‘the
mouth is okay’ when clearly it is not!
Perhaps some would contend that
this is the price I am paying for being
a ‘slave to convention’ and I would“At times, the
portrait painter
can find himself
in a difficult
position as
the freedom of
creativity and
self expression
can be
compromised
by the demands
of the patron’s
contract.”Harry Webber Father BernardInspiration