Practical aspects of drawing and painting the portrait

Practical aspects of drawing and painting the portrait
A portrait can be a representation of the whole or part of the figure or even just the face. Either
way the practical mechanics of drawing the figure and the head have to be mastered first. As in
life drawing you have to follow and practice a drawing method that allows you to be able to
represent all the parts of the figure accurately and in proportion. This is the first stage but not the
ultimate goal. The double edged sword is that while your drawing should essentially be accurately
observed it needs to avoid becoming too detailed, tight and lifeless. Especially with drawing
portraits you can easily end up obsessively representing detail in an effort to chase that elusive
devil ‘the likeness’. As you learn to draw you paradoxically have to learn to ‘undraw’ and allow the
intuitive and expressive side of yourself to have freedom. As you develop control of line you will be
able to let your drawing become more automatic. In this way your feelings and your observations
can emerge subconsciously and bring a quality to your drawing that would not otherwise exist.
This is a more rewarding approach to drawing and painting the portrait that will help you to
produce paintings of substance rather than just technical showpieces.
Rembrandt – Self portrait
Michael Gaskell – Self portrait
“The poetry exists in a world parallel to reality…..” this is so true. If you describe everything you
see in detail just like a mirror, then people who view the work will soon lose interest. But if the
lines you draw dance with the excitement you felt while drawing, slightly exaggerate certain
features you felt were important and miss out others, then we see your true, personal response
and your interaction with the subject of the portrait. If you have consciously thought about your
subject beforehand you will have a deeper psychological insight into the character of the sitter and
you will be able to respond to the subject in a more personal way through your drawing. Your
subconscious will be primed and if you work freely and intuitively then you are in a position to
create a more honest and original interpretation. This is where the visual poetry exists.
The basic difference between a portrait and a figure study is that the portrait has that extra
dimension. We are dealing with the identity of the figure and that also involves the emotional
interaction between the artist and the model; an essential ingredient that helps make a good
portrait. The incredible thing about the brain is that we are all so finely tuned to recognize the
minutest detail about another human face. It is surely an animal based ability which is to do with
recognizing potential danger, compassion or other significant emotions in the face of others. Ten
minutes studying your own face in front of a mirror can be fascinating. If you assume a mood and
then subtly change it, for example a contented mood that slowly changes to smug and at the
same time closely observe the actual changes in your face you will see that the physical changes
are minute. We are talking about a few millimeters of movement in the corner of the mouth and
then a minute change in the eyes. It is incredible that we can all read and identify changes in the
expression as subtle as this, especially when you consider that everybody’s face is unique. We all
have different shapes of mouths and eyes and yet from this information we are able to recognize
how somebody is actually feeling. This body language extends beyond the face of course and we
can read many things into the position of the figure.
Rembrandt - self portrait head studies
For the portrait artist in particular this means that we have an audience with a very finely tuned
and experienced critical eye and natural ability to read the visual signs that we choose to record in
our portraits. We could also argue that this is the potential strength of portraiture to be able to
communicate instantly and enter the mind of the onlooker in the most basic and effective way.
Practicalities
The first stage in learning to draw or paint the portrait should be concerned with the mechanics of
drawing the head and figure without the pressure of having to achieve a likeness. As you continue
to work at portrait drawing it is still better to progress without thinking that the likeness should
totally dominate what you do. You will gradually develop confidence and freedom in your drawing
as the organized method of drawing becomes second nature. Portraits can be naturalistic and
lifelike but not necessarily. What is more important in portraiture is that the picture feels like the
person and also incorporates the subject’s essential characteristics but perhaps most important of
all it is a personal response by the artist.
Head studies – Leonardo Da Vinci
A fundamental consideration is whether you wish to copy exactly what you see before you in
terms of form, proportions, colours, tones and translate that information into a flat 2 dimensional
painting. Alternatively the artist can choose to be more direct and react to the sitter in an
emotional way, focusing more on the person, recording and accentuating special qualities, looking
into the eyes and feeling the energy in the face and interpreting what they see more intuitively. In
reality most people will start somewhere between the two approaches.
Mark Jameson
Carel Weight
Lucien Feud
The first sitting could be about getting to know the subject; talking, sketching, note making or
taking photographs for the purpose of analysis. This is one practical way in which digital photos
can help. To see a series of images of the sitter can be very revealing and help make an informed
decision about the actual pose and composition that best describes what you want to say and that
you will eventually use for your drawing study or painting.
In preparation it can be useful to think about selected aspects of the character or appearance of
your sitter. If you identify, verbalize or sketch what you have observed this can allow you to
combine, even subconsciously, those elements into your work. You can’t draw what you cannot
see or feel so these initial observations are important. On an intuitive level they affect your work in
terms of the decisions you make along the way. They will also be evident in the energy that will be
locked into the marks that you make.
Henry Lamb – Lytton Strachey 1914
Stanley Spencer – Self portrait with Patricia Preece
An important early practical consideration has to be the pose and the composition. Full figures are
clearly more complicated than a straightforward head study. The position of the sitter and the
angle of viewing can be powerful compositional ways of dramatically describing the subject.
Eventually this can be a very important consideration in your work and given some creative
thought beforehand it will allow you to respond with originality and help to avoid some of the more
unimaginative positions we see in many portraits. The pose is of course limited to some extent by
practical aspects like the comfort of the sitter however it is worth spending time thinking about it
because a lot of time and effort goes into producing a portrait after this decision is made.
Researching into other artists work can be enlightening because it can help challenge any
preconceived ideas you may have and open up other ways of thinking. Taking a series of digital
photos of your subject can give you lots of images and information to think about. If you have clear
direction ultimately it will boost your confidence and will almost certainly open new creative doors
for you.
Portraiture by its very nature demands some degree of structure and many of the formal elements
such as composition, proportions and structure, colour etc will have to be consciously considered.
The great challenge is how we respond on a more emotional and intuitive level to the person we
are observing. That elusive devil the ‘likeness’ will still put pressure on you and to some extent will
be the rule by which you measure your success. There are no trade secrets here I am afraid. It is
more a case of employing well structured drawing methods which will take your image closer to
your subject simply through accurate drawing. The fine degree of observation required to detect
and record the essential elements that constitute the likeness will only come through continued
practice as you develop and sharpen your powers of observation.
Media
It is understandable that people wanting to learn to draw the portrait are influenced by the smooth
professional ways of some street artists and these images stay at the back of the mind when you
start to draw. These guys are slick performers often using pastels in a very skillful way. They also
clearly have a well practiced drawing eye that is able to capture a likeness and often work to a
formula that is designed to impress.
It is better not to be influenced by these sorts of images, they can be very misleading.
It is far better to start with an open mind and knowing that there are many different ways of
drawing and painting using a whole variety of different media. Try out different materials and
techniques and get to know and positively enjoy them without having any preconceived ideas
about the final result. This is an open learning experience and is more effective when you can
enjoy finding your own way.
Drawing
Pencils, pen and ink, pastels and charcoal etc. all have their own characteristic qualities. The
pencil is a wonderful versatile media but you can be caught by the detail trap. It is good therefore
to look at a variety of examples of good drawing practice using pencil. Pen and ink can be good
and because of its permanence. It forces you to concentrate on your line and maybe take
chances. Charcoal and the various types of pastels can be great media because they encourage
freedom of use. They tend to demand that you draw on a larger scale and have the potential to
make interesting and varied marks. They describe tone easily and pastels can also introduce
colour to your drawing.
Topolski - pencil
Egon Scheile - pencil
Toulouse Lautrec - pencil
Augustus John - pencil
Student – Charcoal
John Currin – pencil
Kath Kollwitz - woodcut
Drawing in paint is a very liberating experience. You become very aware of the properties of your
brushes and the qualities and characteristics of your chosen paint. It is also a great way to start
and bring initial vitality to a painting.
Lautrec – pastel and gouache
Rembrandt – paint drawing
Joaqin Mir – Oil sketch
Painting
There is so much to consider when painting the face or the figure that it can be better to start with
a restricted palette. Burnt Sienna, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, Indian red and
titanium white. These are earth colours and are variations on the three primary colours which can
still give you a wide range of natural hues. Learning about the principles of colour mixing, later you
can always apply your developing knowledge of colour and extend your range to include brighter
variations and colour combinations which are more to your personal taste.
Sorolla – oil
Kokoshka – oil
Maggie Hamblin – oil
Working with paint is likely to be a more time consuming process and one of the key
considerations is maintaining the energy and spontaneity that you originally felt and which is likely
to be present in your initial drawing. Killing a painting through over working is a common problem.
Starting your initial drawing in charcoal can work well because the media is well suited to bold
lively drawing especially on larger scale work. Whether you are working in oils, acrylics or
watercolours drawing with the brush and thinned paint is an excellent way to start. It makes you
more aware of the energy you bring to the first drawing and is an opportunity to develop fluency in
your drawing/painting skills using brush and paint. This can also have a very positive affect your
painting style.
The drawing and painting of portraits is one of the most complex and demanding genres in Art.
You have to do your apprenticeship and address the practical aspects of drawing accurately
before you develop freedom and clarity in working and then you will
be better equipped to deal with the essential issues of likeness and
communicating ideas. Some people have a sharp drawing eye which
solves the problem of creating a recognizable image but a good
portrait requires something more; an original and sensitive response
by the artist to another person and an insight into their personality.
There is an undeniable element of theatre in many of the best
portraits and this drama can be expressed using many of the formal
elements like colour and light. Choice of subject is also important, like
actors you need good faces that can communicate without words.
The potential of portraiture to be able to instantly enter the mind of the
onlooker in the most basic and direct way can be a wonderful way of
commenting on the human condition. That and all that is involved to
achieve it makes portrait painting both challenging and totally
absorbing.
Toulouse Lautrec - oils