I thought I would get back to my art sooner. I ask your indulgence as I find it more challenging than I thought to settle back into a routine after the death of our grand daughter. I began this week with an early morning funeral mass for a friend and two weeks ago a long time friend and neighbor completed her time here with us as well. My sympathies go out to you also because this is happening more than we realize.

I have continued weekly classes for students who desire more intense study, or even those who are learning the basics. These people are talented artists who have just not learned portrait painting. They are doing great but crave more detailed information. I will do my best to post a detailed description of each step as I proceed with my grand daughter, Sophie’s eleven year old portrait. It will be a slow process because of at least two events. One is Passover which I observe and also will have visitors during this time. The other is the big show at SAMA, Loretto. We have already delivered thirty two paintings to the SAMA museum on the campus of St. Francis University. It will be a busy time.

A photo will accompany this blog. It is to show the linen panel, actually a 12×16 oil primed stretched linen canvas. my students often have trouble doing an imprimatura, which is just a toned oil layer, brushed on and wiped down with paper towels. I used burnt umber mixture withultramarine blue until the color was quite dark. Then as i wipe it down, the color is usually a warm brown. My students often end up with a blotchy black that is hard to work with. It absorbs into the canvas and also wants to resist the next paint layers. it may be because of high pigmented paint or because of lesser grade canvas. I cannot be sure. Aim for something similar to what you see here. As for the image used, I get the best results from a simple image with good lighting. It is possible to draw a good likeness freehand if you have a lot of practice at this. If you decide to use a photo reference, you must study that on your own and understand the complications so you overcome or avoid them. Try to hear this clearly; the image must be a precise image but not necessarily detailed. It is most important to have the measurements precise. You will see that I have used a grid to aid in correct likeness. I choose this because it saves time, a valuable comodity, and it can be very precise if done correctly. Whatever method you use, it is important to make every mark in the drawing as correct as possible. A simple drawing works for me and I study it to make corrections before i transfer it. I will post another image and more instructions as I go.