The Painter in oil

according to that. Make a drawing of the outlines in straight lines, which shall give only
the main proportions of the head, neck, and shoulder. Within this, block out the features
largely. Don’t draw the eyes, but only the shape of the orbit; nor the nostril, but only the
mass of light and shade of the nose.
Construction. - In these studies avoid trying to get anything more than what will be
suggested by this simple drawing. Use body color. Don’t think of anything but what you
have to represent. Never mind how the paint goes on, nor what colors you use, except
that it is right in value, and as near the color as you can get. Put it on with the full brush,
and try to get first the large masses and planes. Get it light where it is light, and dark
where it is dark, and have contrast enough to give some relief. Don’t try for any
problems. Set your model in a simple, strong light and go ahead.
No details, no eyes, only the great structural masses. Try to feel the skull under these
planes of light and dark. Have the edges of them pronounced and firm.
Do a lot of these studies; learn structure first. You will never be able to put an eye in its
place in the orbit till you can make the plane of dark which expresses the boy structure of
the orbit. You will feel the edge of the brow, of the cheekbone, and where the light falls
on the temple and on the side of the nose. Inside of this is the dark of the cavity, broken
for your purpose only by the light on the upper lid. Lay these in. Do the same with the
other planes, and put your brush down firmly where you want the color, with no
consideration but the simplest and most direct expression of value and color.
Now, when you can lay in a head in this way, so that you can express the likeness with
nothing but these dozen or so of simple planes, you have got some idea of what are the
main things which give character to a head. You will begin to understand how it should
“construct.” Into this you can put all the detail you want, and if the detail is in value with
this beginning it will keep its proper relation to the whole.
Always when painting a head solidly, work this way. Get the action and character of
the head as a whole. Block in the planes of the face and the features; and then go ahead
to give the details which express the lesser characteristics. But always get the character,
even the first look of resemblance, with this blocking in. Details and features will not
give you the likeness, to say nothing of the character, if you have not gotten the character
first by the representation of those proportions which mean the structure which
underlies all the accidental positions of the detail of feature.
The Frottée. - If you want to be more exact with your drawing before you begin to
paint, lay in your canvas with a light-and-shade drawing in charcoal. Then make a
frottée in one color, and paint into and over that, as was described in the Chapter on
“Still Life.”
By careful and studious use of these two methods of work you can learn the main
principles of painting portraits, and modify the handling as you have need; for all the
various methods of manipulation are modifications of one or the other, or combinations
of both of these fundamentally different ways of working.
If you paint more than one sitting, get as good a drawing as you can the first day. Put
in your frottée the next, or make your blocking in; then after that do your painting into
the frottée, or the working our of such details as you decide to put in.
Titian painted solidly, probably with no details; then worked these in and glazed, then
touched rich colors into the glaze.