Thanks Rebecca. I have just ckecked “Classical Drawing Atelier” and price here in Australia is $AU59 comparing to $AU24 on Amazon. So Amazon goes. At the same time I ordered “The Painter in Oil” by Daniel Burleigh Parkhurst. 400+ pages for 15 bucks sounds resonable 
Just kidding. Seems to be interesting book. Thank for info.
I know what you mean with contrast and size. This one is larger so hopefully capable to keep more detail. Lets see how it goes
Regards,
K.Polak
That’s great! I think you will really, really like this book. I have so many books on my “to buy” list that I am afraid to buy any of them 
- but this one seemed irresistable. I am so happy to see a revival of atelier training, I just wish that I had known about ateliers a little bit earlier. But this gives me a bit of vicarious atelier living, and who knows, I may end up at one!
Hey krpolak
great start on that last portrait.
I think his left cheek bone should be more protruding. (i know you will say I painted it, but very lightly, but I still think it should be more protruding than you painted it 
)
Also, be careful where you’re going with that upper lip (lef side). i think it might be easy to get the mouth out of line over there.
the angle of the cap’s flap (donnow the english word) is off. You’ve painted it parallel to the brow line but it’s really not.
Didn’t want to sound harsh. If I do I apologize. Just thought it might be best to come up with these at the early stage the painting is, rather than you having to find out when it’s nearly finished
Looking forward to see the next update
Rebeccak,
I have organised small, temporary, but my own alterie in my home. Its great, I can mess paints and brushed around and who cares
NR43, I would be offended by lack of comments hehe Seriously, feedback, especially constructive is always welcome. The issues you mentioned are well spotted. Generaly, if somebody is interested in the process, I try to work from larger shapes to smaller and get likeness by comparition and correction. At the moment I dont care much about correct values, ligter/darker is good enough. But you are definitelly right, it needs wider range. Right now I am trying to lock shapes and lines, so will create sort of map for more accurate tonning in the meanwhile.
As you can see here is next update. Few point that come to me after this session:
I tried to lock eyes first, they are the most important. His left one is a bit too small, so it doesnt get close enough to cheek and create impression that cheek should be cut off closer, which propably is not right jujding by jaw-cheek-ear line. Eyes need more work, definitely.
Then next was the nose, its not easy part considering play of light and shadow
His lips are very tricky. Its sort of lips that seems to smile even is he doesnt really. He must be happy man. I already see that his right lips end goes too high. Very tricky. Lets leave mustache alone
And generally I tried to introduce some more valuse so shapes that could give me more stuff to compare. Now I must sit and think
Thanks again guys for your comment and encouragement.
Regards,
K.Polak
PS: I put his left lip side too far
Next step. I worked on eyes and nose. I think now proportions are closer. Also I worked on lips and introduced mustache. Improved modeling and detail around jaw. Lips are not fully solved, but definitelly closer. It seems to me that there is some progress, hopefully.
Regards,
K.Polak
this portrait is turning out nice!
I don’t know what resolution you are working at, but my advise is to work bigger than you need…so you can always zoom in on details without going to small. Could you post some close-ups? Then its easier to c&c (for me)
keep it up!
-Cyanid
Cyanid,
Thanks, I like it also so far and that is not usual
The piece size is 12x16 inches, no resolution, its analog media. Oil on canvas board
I will post some details after next few stages. At the moment I am pretty much blocking larger shapes and in fact there is no real detail. If I will make a close up there will be just few greish spots
Regards,
K.Polak
my bad! :banghead:
that explains a lot, I was wondering where the unusual texture (for digital media) did come from haha, but now I know. well, good luck and I’ll see how it turns out then
All right, flying on wings of your comments guys here is next stage
Working on likeness and I think I am getting close. I impoved cap shadow, cheeks shapes, nose, added some details to mustache and few other minor things. What your fresh eye says?
Regarding background and other parts I am gong to paint is in semi realistic way with larger brush strokes. I would like to put focus in his eyes and since they will be more or less in shady area (due to lighting) I think keeping only his face fairly detailed will help me with focus point.
Regards,
K.Polak
hi Krystien, nsome nice oil studies you have in this thread, especially some of the little ones! Last portrait is coming on well, though I’d still say you could push the darkness of his whole face where it is in shadow more. If you squint your eyes and look at the original reference, you’ll see the whole right hand of his face is practically a blackish block, with highlights picked out on the nose, left of the moustach, lip and chin. I’d say don’t be afraid to go even darker on the right hand side of his face (as we see it). Notice also how the whites of his eyes are a darker shade of grey than the highlight on his nose, yet yours are about the same value currently. but all the features are really well placed, which is the toughest bit, so kudos to you on that!
Thanks guys, I also think that all features are placed close enough, which is the most important part. Now its time to work on values and more details down the track.
I agree that at the moment face is too light, it must be better modelled. However I am not sure if I am going to fit the photo 100%. This photo is not perfect and in fact I should make it better in Photoshop first. On the ather hand its important to keep certain contrast on skin to provide dark skin impression.
Now the whole fun starts
Thanks again,
K.Polak
Ok, here is next step. To be honest I wasnt really convinced if I should publish this one. Its like showing half done book, there is a lot to happen yet. But then, if somebody who would like to follow and learn something would miss this stage, so here it is. And I still count on your fresh eyes guys
What I have done:
First and the most important I redefined backgound. That mean puting new perspective to whole painting since new bachground, ecpecially around his left cheek competly redefines local contrast. And contast is what grap our attention. Doing just that I automaticly make his skin look darner. Amazing effect.
Then I worked on eyes and cheeks. Initially I painted those area, particulary his right one quite dark following photo. But again, local constrast didnt work and all was one big, dark blob. So I lighetened values here and there to give more illimination and again by contast emphasize his eye - the most important part of this portrait, any portraint. I happy with what is there now.
Following the photo I redefined values aroun jaw, mouth etc etc
There is still few thing to do. Also I have noticed a mistake, his neck is too short and top of t-shirt collar should be place lower, but I think I will leave it as it is.
As always any comments are welcome
Regards,
K.Polak
That is one reason to work paying attention to construction, porportions, perspective, all the allignment, so that later mistakes such as these won’t pop out and in the later painting proces you won’t need to think about where to place the nose. But I’ve made the same mistake on my last gouache study. It was sure enough for me that in my other painting I’ll be more attentive.
I like to see you doing these studies in traditional media. No words that would describe how exciting painting is.
Still working on Mr Forbes, but its almost done. In the meanwhile I received the book you recomended Rebecca. Indeed interesting one. Good mixture of freshly presented theory and few usefull examples. Well spend money. Inspired by this book I did this quick conte study in A3 format. Anyway I am staring from Monday 10 weeks life drawing classes in an atelier.
Regards,
K.Polak
One more conte. This time from life session, about 10-15 min. plus few touchpus after.
Regards,
K.Polak
Really like that top one with the dark bkgrd for mood. I’m glad you like the book! I hope you find it to be useful.
Would love to see you start being a bit more experimental and less ‘safe’ with a few of your oil paintings. Have you ever seen the work of Alex Kanevsky?
It would be great to see you start to develop pieces with personal meaning and more expression to the strokes. One can do studies for forever, but at some point it’s good to push beyond studies to do an artwork that has a narrative, even if it is contained within the expression of the brushstrokes or other formal aspects of a painting. Just food for thought.
Done. I cannot do anything better for now.
Hope you enjoyed guys. I did
Thanks Rebeccak for the link. I dont really enjoy loose brishwork presented to that extend, however I must admit the guy has a good sense of lighting.
Next portrait will consist both larger strokes and detailed areas. I am still mostly into realism though, which for me means smooth gradients.
Regards,
K.Polak
