Friday, January 20, 2006

portrait in progress

I attempted to do a self-portrait and discovered that I don't know the 'rules' about how you're supposed to do that. So some of the proportions are a bit off and after doing this I decided to go and get a book so that I can do portraits that not only look human but also look like the person they'r a portrait of. The other issue I'm having with this one is that the expression is a bit harsh or maybe just strong. I need to complete the shadowing on the left shoulder and possibly add some more femininity - a hair clip or comb or a necklace or something - maybe a ribbon? And i need a little shadowing in the left part of the eye you can see. The nose is off and the eyes are a bit too forward to be me and the lips are wrong too but I think the jawline is right and the ear and probably the neck and shoulderline. Guess I have to start somewhere and it's a little late to move the eyes. Next time I'll do it the way my book tells me you should position that stuff.

2 comments:

Sonja Andrews said...

Hey Becky ... I actually took a class in portraiture about 10 years ago. You're doing really well!! I like that painting a lot. And I like the expression. I'd like to see it up close some time ...

Rebecca said...

Thanks Sonya! I'll have to show it to you sometime! I didn't do the whole "start with the eyes" thing and that's where I got off kilter I think.