This is my latest effort.
Apache Warrior Circa 1800s Waterford 16" x 12" Not
I continue to struggle to produce a photograph fully representative of the painting, despite trying several settings. The original has slightly more contrast than the photo and the colours are darker.
Compared to the photo the likeness is only fair and I haven't quite been able to get the hostile expression of the original. I painted the face and features, using pan colours, with mixes of Cad Red, Cad Yellow Light, and various blues, Cerulean, Cobalt and Ultramarine. I also used a touch of Ultramarine Violet and Hookers Green around the eye sockets. Other colours (mainly tubes) used in the remainder include Burnt Umber, Raw Umber, Viridian, Quinacridone Gold (PO49 - the orignal W and N formulation not the current three pigment mix) and Raw Sienna. Also touches of Avignon Orange (Maimeri).
I am reasonably pleased with the above painting. It could be better, as can all my paintings, but I feel I am progressing and I have kept a number of my failures to prove it! It is tough producing paintings from these old black and white/sepia photographs.
2 comments:
I think this is a very successful piece and for me its attraction lies in the way you have reduced the number of hard edges. The picture really drags our attention to the eyes, as it should, this being the most distinctly edged passage in the picture. Good work. I'm becoming mesmerised at the number of pigments that make an appearance in your paintings. I also agree with you about the difficulties of producing paintings from old photographs.
Thanks for those kind words Mick. As for the number of pigments I use I'm drawn to the 18 - 20 paint number used by CR. There are such wonderful colours available that it seems a shame to restrict yourself to 8 - 12 colours or less. In any event I don't do a great deal of mixing,again the CR way. Naturally certain colours are more important and are used much more than others. Each to his own I say.
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