Fun with Portraits and Figures

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter."
-Oscar Wilde


"My True Colors" Self Portrait, Colored Pencil and Marker © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012
  Portrait and figure painting is very exciting for me. There are many things to factor in, not only do you have the same challenges with composition and color mixing as with any other painting, but you also have the challenge of creating a likeness to the sitter. Likeness is not only shown in a persons face, but body language as well, so it is important to pay attention to both in order to capture a persons essence. Likeness paintings can come in many shapes and sizes, they can be of one person, many people or even of pets (just because it's a Dalmatian doesn't mean it looks like all Dalmatians). Whether you are doing a close up (shoulders up [Portrait]) or far away (whole body [Figure]) view, likeness is very important. Looking at the painting below you can see that the children's facial features are not visible, I had to rely on their body language to give their likeness. I love the challenge of a good portrait or figure painting, especially when working on people. It is always such a fun and rewarding subject.
"Family Outing" Oil, Commission-Close up © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2013


  I started painting people at a very young age, by the time I was nine I was already doing color studies focusing on mixing flesh tones. My first series dealing with people "Many Faces Many Cultures" was done at that time. This series focused on different skin colors, races and sexes. I still remember, it was the summer between 4th and 5th grade, I sat out on my porch mixing all the different skin colors using q-tips and my little watercolor set from my art kit. I still have those paintings to look back on today. That is also when I started exploring accessories that help show likeness, such as eye glasses and facial hair. Lots of fun!!

"The Big Head" © Shana L Rowe Jackson 1996
 


 Recently I have been focusing a lot on portraiture and learning more ways to better my technique. Since I am primarily self taught I will admit that there is always room to learn. Learning about art, for me, is almost as exciting as creating it. Last month I read a book that I think helped a lot. It outlined things that, being self taught, I hadn't thought about before. Many things I already knew naturally but it was a very informative refining tool for me. The title is "How to Paint Living Portraits" By Roberta Carter Clark. If you have time and are looking for a good book to help with your portrait technique I recommend this book.




  This book really helped me get in the mood to do a project that I had been thinking about doing for a long time. I have a photo of my father and my dog taking a nap that I took a few years ago. I absolutely love it and I wanted to paint it for a long time but waited for the right moment, and inspiration. I finally got around to it, and I believe it is one of my best paintings yet!!



"Dog Days" with close ups. Oil
© Shana L Rowe Jackson 2013
   Good lighting is an essential part of a good portrait. The right lighting will bring out the subjects features, and bring their likeness out. In "Dog Days" there are two separate light sources, both from windows, one from above the couch, and one coming from the left side of the painting. This kind of complicated lighting is not usually recommended, but when done properly it can be fun and create a wonderful effect. The dual lighting in this piece created dynamic shadows and contours, and also created a unique challenge. The fact that the windows are facing different directions (the one above the couch is on the south side of the house, the one beside him is on the east side) the light from each is reflected in different colors. The south window is projecting more of a blueish light because there is no direct sunlight coming in, the east window is bringing in more of a yellow light because of the time of day it is (mid morning) and where the sun is hitting the house. These are all things to factor in when doing a portrait with strong lighting. A portrait without strong lighting can often look flat because there is not enough contrast, but too much contrast can cause hard edges making the subject look older, this is something to keep in mind when painting women and children, where you may want to use softer lighting.

   Since references aren't always easy to come by I find a good way to exercise my portrait painting is by painting what I know. I do a lot of self portraits because of this, and find that it is great practice for when I have commissions. I also paint and draw my husband and father a lot too.



"Jason and I" Acrylic
© Shana L Rowe 2010
"Cow Girl" Self Portrait Watercolor © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012 


"Sweet Child O' Mine" (My father and I) Ink Pen © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012
"Jason Eddie" Graphite Portrait of my Husband © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012

"Enjoying the Day" Gouache Painting of my husband done "en plein air"

"The Lone Fisherman" (My Father) Acrylic
                                          
  A lot times I will get commissioned to do portrait work. I do both people and pet portraits. People love to give them as gifts for their loved ones. I usually ask the client to provide me with one or more photo references of the subject, and compile them, putting my own twist on them from there. I do portraits in many different mediums ranging from Pencil to Oil.
"Senior Year" Graphite, Commission © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012
  The graphite picture above is a commission compiled from two old photos placing the subjects together. The photos I had to work from were no bigger than a wallet sized photo.


"Brody" Commission, Acrylic  © Shana L Rowe Jackson 2012
         This painting is one of my favorite pet portraits. Brody and his most beloved toy Porka!!

        As you can see I love the challenge of portrait work!! I also love the use of strong lighting. Shading has always been one of my favorite aspects of any artwork that I do. I consider myself a sculptor of paint. If you have any questions about my portrait work or would like a portrait done please contact me at shanarowejackson05@aol.com or shanaroweart@gmail.com


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