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Why Paint a Portrait from Photo?

October 6th, 2008 at 4:01 am (Acrylic Painting, Colored Pencil, Illustrations, Oil Painting, Pencil, Watercolors)

Article By: Bob Walton

Most artists like to view and look at the person and objects they want to draw or paint. But if an artist doesn’t have access to the actual person or object, they turn to a reference picture. Photos provided by customers are the easiest and best reference materials, whereas, reference books for objects are expensive.  So when it comes to references of objects, to be included in a portrait painting, the easiest, and cheapest, way to find reference pictures of what the portrait painting artist wants to paint or draw is to look on the internet.

Artists have to be careful, though. Many provided photos, and pictures on the internet are copyrighted. This means that you can’t copy it exactly and then call the end result their own work. That could get the artist into a litigious situation. To get around this, the portrait painting artist either has to change around things in their art, so that it doesn’t exactly reflect the image in the photograph, or they must find references that are unrestricted, that an artist is allowed to use. Regardless, references are critical for artworks, and proper use of those references is always necessary to remain above reproach.

In todays busy life, photos are the best means to obtain desired poses, frozen in time, that allow the artist to creatively express, on their canvas’ when the moment of inspiration strikes, without the constraints of time, distance, or “unavailable” live posing.

Ideally, it’s best for the artist to pose and photograph the subject his or herself. However, due to considerations already noted, it often becomes necessary to rely on the reference photographs customers provide, especially when the portrait painting from photo is to be a gift or surprise to a loved one, in order to paint the portrait masterpiece desired.

Why paint a portrait from photo? Because it simplifys the portrait painting process for both the artist and thier customers.

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Portrait Paintings From Photo - A Superior Gift!

October 6th, 2008 at 2:41 am (Acrylic Painting, Colored Pencil, Gouache, Oil Painting, Pencil, Watercolors)

Are you looking for a personalized unique gift idea?  Have you ever considered a portrait painting? Too time consuming to pose in a studio? Not a problem; how about a portrait painting from photo to make it easy?  Just send us your favorite picture, with your suggestions & parameters, Anne Elisabeth does the rest.

There is lots of difference in the life expectancy, and keeping of a photo vs. that of an oil painting picture, by far it is more advantageous to own a painted portrait over owning a photograph. For one, paint lasts longer.  Just visit an art museum or art gallery to view re-known paintings; many paintings are centuries old. Paintings simply don’t fade out because they are made of a high quality media. The longest lasting paintings are those painted with oil paints. Portrait painted pictures are timeless keepsakes because they are truly works of art.

Anne Elisabeth is not just offering portrait paintings from photo as an expression of her creativity (as some artists understand). She creates products that fully satisfy her customers. She can customize her product in such a way that the oil painting pictures are preferred by the customers.  She can ensure full customer satisfaction by providing them draft of her works, and modifications if necessary, until the customer is fully satisfied.

Portrait painting from photo pictures are not only unique personalized gifts, they are timeless works of art from a real artist who makes the gift more valuable.

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Why Commission An Artist?

September 25th, 2008 at 10:26 am (Acrylic Painting, Art Lesson, Colored Pencil, Gouache, Illustrations, Oil Painting, Pencil, Pets, Watercolors, Wedding Portrait)

Why commission an artist? Well, there are plenty of reasons, here are some situations in which you may require a custom picture:

Perhaps you are an author, or roleplayer? I sure am! I find it nice to have a picture of my character to better help depict him or her to others. Or maybe there was a certain story you enjoyed and you would like that scene put into illustration?

Custom artwork also makes great personal gifts for friends and family.

Or perhaps you have a story, website, or other personal project that you may be working on and would like an illustration or graphic for it? I can do that too!

We ran and survey for “why commission and artist?”, and here are the top answers:

1) Because he/she is talented.

2) Because he/she is a friend of mine.

3) Because I love to have original drawing about my favourite characters.

4) Because I love to help people live from their art.

5) Because of their style or skill.

6) Because he/she is famous.

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Painting An Oil Portrait - Step by Step

August 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm (Art Lesson, Oil Painting)

Herewith I only give some examples of my portrait painting technique. Everybody develops his own technique suitable to his painting style. Each portrait is a new challenge, an enriching experience, a very exciting one. Actually, most part of a portrait painting is still life: clothes, furniture, flowers,… all the decorum around. Of course, if you paint outdoors, the portrait would contain still life and landscape.

My colour scale is white, French ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, burnt umber, viridian (emerald green ), cadmium red deep, and sometimes I add to this scale cadmium red, Van Dyke brown, light oxide red (rouge Anglais), and permanent green light. I never use black; I mix colours to obtain a black that is more siccative (dries quickly) than the commercial tubes’ black, and comes more in harmony with the other colours of the picture. With time passing by, I surely will experiment other colours.

Here are some examples of flesh tint: white, burnt sienna, cadmium red, cadmium yellow or yellow ochre; or, white, oxide red, cadmium yellow; …you really can find the flesh colour you like best, but the first example is the basic colour. For the flesh shadows, white, burnt sienna, cadmium red only, with more sienna, or you add viridian to this, or ultramarine blue. For the flesh in lights, you add more white to the basic colour. You have to find your own mixed colours. I would not have room here to give all the possibilities. Do not forget the reflected lights in the shadows or in the lights. The flesh, like every other thing you paint, reflects the colour of what is next to it; but do not overdo that. The highlights may be pure white at the end of the picture, or white and cadmium yellow.

The photographic picture:

 If my client hasn’t got a nice studio picture I usually take a picture myself. It allows me to arrange for a good composition. Take several pictures so that you can choose the one you like best or the one that is more appropriate to your aim. Working from a photographic picture allows me to work whenever I want, wherever I want, as long as I want. In the composition, the head must be high enough, near to the upper edge of the canvas. Examine the portrait paintings of the masters.

Transferring to the canvas:

There are several techniques to transfer the picture to the canvas. For example the “small squares’ technique” or the opaque projection technique. I prefer the latter because its accuracy is more liable and it takes less time then the first one. (I always think that all the great masters would also have used photography and projector if they had had that opportunity at their time.) Still, there are a few things you must take care of: I hang the stretched canvas on the wall, I prepare the projection machine in front of the picture on its middle axe; then, to make sure the projection machine is good leveled with regard to the picture I use a water level. This is of extreme importance because otherwise the projected picture would be distorted. I close the curtains, I usually wait for the evening hours for this job and I use a sharp pencil to trace the lines of the projected picture on the canvas, which must not move a bit. I also slightly trace the shadows. I try not to forget any line because if you realize that you have forgotten a line and project once more the picture, you will have a very poor chance of getting the same projection and the lines will not correspond to the first one. If need be it would be better to add those lines afterwards by examining the picture itself. Then, take your work and look through a mirror: when you look the reversed drawing, you will see all the mistakes you have made. Repeat this mirror knack as many times as you want throughout your painting time. It will help a lot to see the inevitable errors.

Lavis (wash) technique:

 First, I draw on the lines with a thin water colour brush with a diluted brown colour. Then with the lavis technique ( to paint with only one very diluted colour) I paint the shadows very lightly. With other diluted colours with plenty of turpentine I paint very summarily the different colours of the picture just to give me an idea of the different spots of colours and to compare the colours between them to make sure there is a good colour harmony. I often change the colour of the clothes if they are not nice, or to match them with another colour of the picture. I always tend to the beautiful, to the general harmony of the picture.

Colours:

 First of all I never use the colour black in any way in my pictures. Why? Because the commercial black colour doesn’t look natural. My black is a mixture of ultramarine blue and burnt umber, or van dyke brown, it depends of what the next spot of colour is, I always avoid to mix more than 2 colours plus white, but you can add just a touch of a third colour. Otherwise, if you mix more than 2 colours the colour obtained is muddy. The white: you never have an absolute white, you have to add hues of the colours that are next to this white spot. Avoid mixing white too much and in every occasion to other colours : the colours lose their freshness. Sometimes you can lighten colours by adding yellow or other light colours. Do not add black to darken colours, use dark colours, browns, dark reds…One must really learn about colours. There are very good books on the subject.

Fabrics:

It is difficult to render the fabric of a tissue with painting. Silk, velvet, satin, fur… I am always in wonderment in front of the masters’ works. You have to examine the different colours on the fabric: for example silk and satin reflect so much light that you have to paint plain white to some area of the fabric to show this enlightenment; the shadows are proportionally dark. For brown fur, first you paint a layer of brown, more dark to some shadowed areas, and then when this layer is thoroughly dry, you paint tiny lines with light brown mixed with white, perhaps add a very small amount of yellow or red, it depends of the colour of the fur. Don’t do this to all the fur, these lines are darker or lighter in regard to their places in the composition. In the enlighten areas each hair reflects light.

Objects:

Always put a contrast between light and shade. It makes the object more vivid. I never make the edges very sharp, even when it looks sharp in my paintings! The background edge of a spot must be less clear, less sharp, for a felling of distance.

Drying and working schedule:

I always wait 15 days between each layer of paint. With my technique I achieve a picture in 6 months. If you finish your picture in one day, it’s o.k. too. But you must not paint on a semi-dry paint. It would bring the upper layer to crackle. If you want to take all your time to paint, you inevitably have to allow each layer of paint to dry thoroughly. I wait 15 days, although my layers are very thin. That is what the great masters did, so why not us? If you have thick paint, you must wait much longer. I like to give the picture time to grow, taking all my time, like the Nature, never hurrying. Of course you can use drying mediums, if you don’t want to wait…but I don’t trust them very much. I would like to see the results on the picture after several years, 5, 10, 20, 50 years and more.

Lighting:

 Do care to have always a lighted area and nice shadows in the picture. Try to divide your picture into two sections: the lighted areas and the shadow areas. Each of them also is divided in two: highlights and half lights; dark shadows and half shadows. It gives depth to your work. In a portrait the forehead is the most lighted area. Don’t forget a touch of white to the under lip, tiny lights on the eyes, on the edge of the nose…

Varnishing:

In the end of the 5.month, my picture is finished and I paint some details, adding here and there some lights, deepening some shadows…that’s the moment I like most. Then I put the picture aside, to dry a whole month. Normally you have to wait a good year before varnishing a painting but as I allow my paint to dry 15 days several times during the painting time, and as I paint very thin layers, one month is enough. But if I have the possibility to wait more, I do! I then put the picture flat on a table. I put the open varnish bottle in a small pot with water in it and I warm it in bain-marie (double- saucepan) because this way the varnish becomes thinner and more fluid. Then I varnish the picture with a flat brush quickly and all in once. Pass the brush horizontally, than vertically on the picture. Carefully examine for any unvarnished areas. Not need to hurry yet the whole thing must not take more than a couple of minutes as the varnish dries quickly. Then leave your picture in this position, flat, to dry for one hour. Then it can go on drying vertically. Do care to make the varnishing in a dust free place. Within the drying hour avoid moving around the picture.

Article Source - My Portrait Painting Technique by: Lale Okonsar

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Oil Painting Supply Tips For Beginners

July 27th, 2008 at 7:11 pm (Art Lesson, Oil Painting)

When I first began painting some 10 years ago, I remember my first trip to my local art supply store. I recall my feeling of utter confusion as I perused the aisles. This particular art store had every tube of paint, brush, medium and canvas known to man, far too many choices for a confused beginner. After several moments, a sales person came by and began to assist me in finding the supplies I needed. To make a long story short, I left the store 30 minutes later with a box full of supplies, half of which I had absolutely no idea what to do with. I wish I knew then what I know now. I could have saved myself a lot of money.

When you are first starting out in oil painting, you shouldn’t go overboard on supplies. It’s best to start with the basics. When you become more experienced, you can then try out different supplies until you find the items you are most comfortable working with.

Oil Painting Brushes - Brushes come in various sizes and shapes from flats to brights to rounds. They are also available at various prices. Brushes are something you should definitely spend a bit extra on and shoot for quality. You don’t want cheap brushes. Cheap brushes are a huge headache mainly because they shed hair and lose their shape quicker than quality brushes. The types of brushes you purchase really depend on the type of painting you plan on doing: landscapes, portraits, impasto work, etc., all call for certain types of brushes. You will only learn this over time as you become more experienced and develop your own style. For starters, I would purchase a few flats of various sizes, a few small rounds for detailed work and a fan for blending. Make sure to also purchase a good brush cleaner and preserver. I use the Marx Brush Care System for cleaning and preserving my brushes and it works great.

Oil Paints - Oil paint also varies in price and quality. There are some very good paints on the market today. I prefer to work with Grumbacher Artist Oils, but Winsor & Newton oil paints are also quite popular. There are different grades of paint. There are student grade paints and professional grades. My own preference is to work with the professional grades, as the colors are more brilliant than student grade paints. I guess it’s ok in the beginning to purchase a lesser quality for learning and experimentation. I guarantee once you try the professional grade paints, you will never go back to student grade. This is my opinion of course. Artist color choices vary. Some prefer a limited palette of only a few colors, while others prefer to have a variety of different colors at their disposal.

Here are the colors of my palette. You do not have to buy these exact colors, as this is only my preference that has developed over time.

Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Orange
Burnt Sienna
Raw Sienna
Burnt Umber
Alizarin Crimson
Sap Green
Thalo Blue
Ivory Black
Titanium White

Oil Painting Mediums - Medium preference varies greatly from artist to artist. I think every artist has his or her own mixtures and formulas. I myself use linseed and poppy oil. Linseed oil has a tendency to yellow the colors so I do not mix it with my lighter color mixtures. For lighter color mixtures, I use poppy oil as it has less of a tendency to yellow. There are other mediums available. I recommend that you try your own mediums and recommendations from artists until you find something that produces the results you are after.

Canvas and Other Supports - The popular support that many artists work with is cotton canvas, but there are other supports available. Some other choices are linen canvas, boards and canvas paper for instance. You could also buy rolled canvas and stretch your own if desired. This again is something you have to experiment with until you find a support that works best with your style of painting. I recommend starting with a few smaller to medium sized canvases. I work with FREDRIX Red Label Stretched Cotton Canvas. Red Label is a medium textured quality canvas excellent for use with oils and a popular choice amongst oil painters.

Palette - Palettes are made from various materials including glass,wood, plastic, and even paper. My palette of choice is the BOB ROSS Clear Palette. This palette is wonderful. It’s easy to clean, holds a lot of paint with adequate room to mix your colors. It’s also priced quite reasonably.

Easels - Easels are also available in various sizes and price ranges. You will need a good stable easel to paint on; otherwise your canvas will wobble around when you paint. This can be quite frustrating. You also need to decide whether you will be painting primarily in your studio or if you are an outdoor painter. If you are painting outdoors you should consider purchasing a French easel. The JACK RICHESON Academy Verona Half French Easel is a good buy. If you work primarily in your studio, then you have a lot of easels to choose from. I personally use a STANRITE 500 Classic Aluminum Easel. It’s an excellent easel that is both lightweight and sturdy. It sets up easily and can be folded for easy transport.

Article Source - Oil Painting Supplies - Guide For Beginners

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Painting From Photo Process

July 12th, 2008 at 7:31 pm (Acrylic Painting, Colored Pencil, Gouache, Illustrations, Oil Painting, Pencil, Pets, Watercolors, Wedding Portrait)

Way before the camera and video camera were invented, portraits were painted by artists. As photographic technology developed, portraits were captured in any setting with just one click of a finger; unlike before where subjects sat and waited for hours until portraits are finished. While printed photos have an advantage in that they can be easily edited and printed. The computer world just doesn’t capture the magic of a created original painting. But you can take advantage of both worlds by commissioning Anne Elisabeth to create a painting from your photo.

Going from photo to painting is a multi-step process, which involves the following:

1) The Photo.

It all starts with an image, which can be any kind of photo. Photos can be presented as hard copy or digital images.

Although digital photos make the best choice for a photo, companies who do photo to painting understand that many clients have photos from the past that were taken when digital technology wasn’t available, so it is still possible to do so using old photos.

2) Painting Size.
Once you have selected the photo you would like turned into a painting, you will need to select the painting size.

Most companies who do photo to painting offer different painting sizes. The most common sizes are:
8.5”x11”, 14″x17″, 16″x20″, 18″x24″.

3) Painting Medium.

Next, you choose the style; pencil, acrylic, gouache, oil, pen & ink, watercolor.

4) Customizing Your Painting.

One of the many benefits of turning a photo to a painting is the possibility to do a custom painting. This means that the artist can make any types of modification to your painting. Here is a list of things which can be customized:

i) The background - If you do not like the background of the photo you have selected, or would like a plain studio background, then you can request the artist to paint it .
ii) The clothes - If the photo consists of multiple subjects, and has them looking perfect for an oil painting, maybe their clothes color or style do not match for a single oil painting. You can request from the artist to change their clothes so that they match in style and color.
iii) Combining photos - Let’s say you would like to have a family portrait done. However, you do not have a single photo of all the family members together. You could round up the best photo of each family member, and ask the artist to combine all the photos into one custom oil painting.

5) Choosing The Right Photo To Painting Artist.

Here at Portrait Paintings From Photo we offer uniqueness (a stylized and individual approach to recreating your special portrait). Anne Elisabeth imparts her spirituality to all her paintings; not an assembly-line approach.

Digital photos fade and the physical reminder of the happy event is gone. We, at Portrait Paintings From Photo would like to preserve your most cherished occasion, along with its physical memoir, thus we offer you portraits from photo. You choose the memory, we create the heirloom masterpiece.

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Allison in Oils

July 6th, 2008 at 6:16 pm (Oil Painting)

Allison in Oils

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