Yes, usually I finish this step and then take a photo to show you. Today I wondered if you might see the process better if I show you just a little. That way, perhaps, you may have less distraction because you will have less to look at. I follow the light patterns around the face, trying to make my brush strokes follow the contours of the face. This step brings a lot of the three dimensionality to the portrait. Now, I will get back to work. Shalom, Diana

It is hard to be motivated when you have a concussion. Today I felt eager to do things for the first time since the accident. I now have a blasting headache. Also a storm is coming. Well, I want to get this up so you can see again how I begin. I did the drawing over the past few days and I had done the imprimatura on the canvas so it was ready. I turned on the air conditioner in my studio and put in three hours work. I have always enjoyed the beginnings of a portrait. The next session will add the brights and the skin. That is all for now. I must get something for this headache. Shalom

I send my apologies for disappearing for so long. Accidents happen no matter how careful we are. The hard bump on my head did not present symptoms other than a headache so for two days I seemed OK. On the third day, everything changed. To keep this brief, let me say that the ER found no bleed or fractures but I became unable to balance and was very nauseated. The symptoms continued until I realized that ‘rest’ meant ‘do nothing’. I think it is about three weeks now and I am just now getting back on my feet. I am very thankful I was not injured worse. Today, I put a layer on this portrait. I have never been happy with my glasses since the cataract surgery but it seems there is nothing better to be had. Maybe I will become accustomed to not seeing well. I hope to post more regularly as I recover. Till next time, Diana

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There will be many layers after this but try to realize that with the grisaille and now this first layer of flesh we have set a pattern. The pattern will guide us and we must learn to see in our mind’s vision, how we want the skin to look. As we paint more subjects like this, our approach will become more natural. We will know what colors and techniques we need to accomplish a certain look. My students take notes and sometimes feel a little uncomfortable about that but I tell them that when I was first teaching myself, I also took notes. I might do a certain thing that I hadn’t done before. If it looked good, I wanted to remember so I made a note and kept those together so I could find them. Even an artist who is greatly gifted must learn and so each experience with a portrait is a learning experience. It is very true that the best way to learn is by painting, a lot! Diana

I have not figured how to add two photos. If I can, I will add the other after I finish this.
I just want you all to know that when you get the first layer of flesh on, manipulate it as well as you can, make the values and hues go where they belong and then using a soft brush, smooth them to follow the direction of light. When you are satisfied (for this layer), then buff to a high sheen. This will prepare the surface for the next layer. It always looks blotchy until you have multiple layers. The idea is to form the muscles correctly using color and light. It doesn’t seem to look very good, but you should be pleased with the end result. I will try the other photo and then do one touch up in another spot, then I must hurry with dinner. Be safe, be well, Diana

I have been so busy, I overlooked updating you on this portrait. I’m not sure it is finished yet. It has been a joy to develop this image. The baby has a perfect, peaceful look. I love to paint detail as in the eyelet pattern in the baby dress. I had just a few minutes this evening so I was checking out my website when I saw this needed an update. So here you are!

I have a lot of things happening in my art walk and also something new I am hoping to reveal soon. Much of my time is used up with family and health issues. I need a lot of energy to keep up with it all. I am blessed and I hope you are as well. Shalom, Diana

It may not seem like much since the grayscale portrait looks pretty good, but I can sculpt the body with white, and maybe some dark, so that the light added will make it all seem more alive. You can scroll back and pick up more info on painting the grasialle from my earlier works. The image I am working on now is quite large so I won’t post a lot on this until there is something really special to show you. I am very happy about this image and will try to make it the best! Happy painting, Diana

I am happy with this. I like the colors, the light and, of course, the smile! I have been concentrating on the last details of this and the mother and baby. I have been notified about a show that will be a great venue for the next work I am creating. But the timeline means I cannot do this as slowly and carefully as I had planned. Sometimes a little pressure brings out the best in us. We stay focused. Or, it could all fall apart. I cannot let that happen. In spite of time crunches, pain and vision problems, I want the very best for this next project. I will show you soon,,,maybe. Hugs, Diana

So, maybe one more layer, then done. I listened to a documentary on Bouguereau. He said, ‘forty layers is about right.’

I usually enter after a work day. I am just getting started today but since I haven’t posted for a while, I thought I would catch you up. In reality, this does not look very dark but yet it still needs a degree lighter. I am hoping to do that today and then maybe the hair. I am so happy with this image. I like everything about it. The eyes are so expressive, the three quarter profile is great and the light and atmosphere is perfect.
I started a wonderful new subject that I recognized as a fabulous composition and so much more. My plan was to work slowly. Well there is a competition that this will be perfect for. I will enter if this is complete. I will show you more later. Sorry to rush. Shalom, Diana

I have said it before, this layer is always going to look bad! This is an under painting. I do try to paint it with a degree of finesse but I want to emphasize that we are attempting to achieve the supple appearance of flesh. That will be accomplished with layers. As you work on these early layers, convince yourself that these layers are a foundation. The more well built the foundation, the better the final product.

When I work on my own projects at this stage, sometimes I begin to try perfecting it! This is sort of like a rabbit hole, it is never ending, you just cannot make progress. I remind myself to get the basics right. Also, even though this layer looks blotchy, make the areas smooth as possible and be sure to brush even the darkest parts with just a whisper. This will help unify it all, making it all part of the same portrait. You don’t want a dark shadow to stand out as though it is a blob of dirt on the skin. It takes a lot of portrait painting to begin to recognize how to make the shadows and lights of one face all look like the same color, only with light and shadow!
On a personal note, there are a lot of things going on with me. First, we always say, that when you have five daughters, there is always chaos somewhere, so, there is that. Next, Bruce and I have reached the place,(finally), where we must accept the interruptions of age related health issues. I have announced to my doctors that I will only concede to the most urgent tests. I don’t want to spend these later years trying to keep up with all the scheduled stuff. Sadly, for my art, there are difficulties and complications with my vision since having cataract surgery. To keep it simple, I am almost a year out and still do not have glasses that are helpful with my painting. Also the glaucoma is still looming, even though the cataract surgery was done to control the pressure. I am trying to fill my daylight hours with more activity. I cut back to help control pain levels but I am having more difficulty maintaining my weight. Since I bought up yards of fabric when the price was right, I have begun a daily amount of time on sewing projects. Today I made a pair of kackie colored jeans to go with a blouse I made last week. Lastly, I have spent three years perfecting an art tool. I am now trying to market it. I’ll let you all know if I am successful.
I cannot expect you to spend any more of your valuable time on the personal side of this blog. I do hope you will like and subscribe. I’d hate to make this effort if no one is interested. I thank God for my art friends, they are deeply interested in all this stuff. I am deeply grateful that they allow me to share what I have learned. I try to document as much as I can so that it will be available when someone needs it. Like and share. Shalom, Diana

I don’t have a lot of time today so I made a color choice for the background. On the next layer, I will subdue or desaturate the blue to a much softer quality I will place a white over the t-shirt so that the violet shows softly as well. I may then go over the shadows with French ultramarine blue. I love doing these head and shoulders if they are well lit and interesting poses. This one shows the boy’s personality so well, as does the one I just finished of his brother. I usually make a painting, then have Bruce make a frame or use one I have gotten on a thrift shop find. Well, I sorted out those frames which I have collected and it seems that I am going to have to begin painting subjects sized for the frames I already have because there are some really nice frames to make use of. The mother and baby is an odd size because She is my best example of making a composition that is suited to a particular frame, rather than the way I have done it up till now. Do keep an eye on thrift stores, antique stores and yard sales! Shalom, Diana

This step can be difficult. It can throw the artist and also the subject if they see the image at this stage. But many portraits are painted with no foundation or understanding of how to ‘build’ a three dimensional portrait on a two dimensional canvas. As you put time into getting a good likeness, allow your brain to see what it needs in order to look true and. Correct when finished. Correct at the earliest possible stages and keep your marks transparent ,as light as possible. Then you won’t be fighting those heavy darks as you continue. I often make a correct mark on top of a not so good mark. It is only possible because I keep these early, structure building marks thin and light. Happy painting.Diana.

I began the day by redesigning a sewing pattern so I can make the blouse I want. Since I had no pattern, I had to search through about four drawers full of patterns that I have collected since I was a teen. The very last pattern I looked at was the only one that I could possibly adapt. Let’s hope it works! Then I worked on my mother and child. The baby’s dress is eyelet so the work is extremely detailed. Also, white is not so easy as it looks. then, since I was working with white already, I started on the brights for my great grandchild’s portrait. If you are following this blog to learn this indirect method of portrait painting, you will know that after I transfer the drawing, I use the same dark paint to soften the shadows and refine the transfer. I allow that to dry and then I paint the brights. These are not called highlights. I put highlights on at the end. This is almost like sculpting a statue. Using your best soft and fine brushes, apply the titanium or a mixture of titanium and flake white with care and finesse. Study your photo reference or your model and follow the flow of the light. Where it is soft, be sure to keep the paint thin. Where the light is strong, paint this in a more solid but not heavy manner. I always keep my beginning layers minimal if possible. For example, I do not recommend trying to paint the over all hair with solid colors. I only place a few strands of the dark hairs in order to establish the pattern. Each layer can take on a few more applications. In this way, your hair will turn out looking much more natural. So, with the brights, think of this as painting the brightest rays of sunshine first. We can refine this and then cover it with a halfpaste that I refer to as skin. We can also apply the halfpaste directly after this application of brights, (be sure to let it dry well first). Then we can continue to refine the brights to improve the accuracy and likeness. After this dries I will modify and refine all the features and shadows, being careful to keep the value light. We will intensify the depth of value and hue as we get into the painting further. I do hope you read the blogs carefully but if you are very observant, you can learn a lot just by looking. That is how I learned and the work I was able to see was finished. It was not presented as progressive work in progress. Enjoy and learn. Adapt what I show you with your tolerance and ideas. Enjoy, Shalom. Diana

I know I just turned eighty but it is difficult enough to find my way around this tech stuff and then I pull up this website to find some gremlins have been in here again doin their magic to ‘make things better’!!! When users finally master or at least know their way around, why do they find it necessary to throw in all these changes? Now I have to spend more time and frustration just trying to do a nice post for my artist friends.
ok, I will try to calm down. I just got warmed up and settled down from being out in the cold night staring up at the planet parade. I was able to see the brightest planets but they were not as close to each other as I was expecting. I hope some of you took advantage of this celestial sign as it isn’t to happen again in our lifetime. This is a great grandson. I love the light in this. He has a great smile with tiny dimples in this view. These details are necessary for the likeness but it isn’t so simple to get them right. This grisaille is the first layer after the transfer. This is the best time to capture the image of the person, the likeness, personality, spirit. I started my art life painting large and I still love to do that. But there is a special connection when painting a head and shoulders, a closeness and special deep understanding of the features. I feel privileged to have this opportunity with each one. I do hope these will be valued and protected for generations. As I paint these faces, I cannot help but imagine that a hundred years from now, their grandchildren will view these paintings and. have an appreciation for the efforts and love with which I have painted each brushstroke. Shalom, Diana

This is the greatest feeling, when you put first marks on canvas and already the likeness is good. Now, let’s see where it goes from here. This is one of those images that jumped line. When I came across this photo that I took so long ago, it screamed,’Me First’! The composition is usually what draws me in. But I want this one to ‘knock your socks off!’ But now I must cook dinner.

I tell my students that, in most cases, jurors do not wish to recognize ‘cutsie’ images. I say, If you choose to paint an image that might be in that category, then it must have something special about it; something that just can’t be overlooked. In this image, the adorable rosy cheeked infant is front and center with the one little pink foot facing the juror. Mom is glancing lovingly with a firm caress. The dark, simple background evokes a quiet night. Even the angle of the adoring mama’s face directs you to the slumbering child. And the colors are chosen to make the baby in white the center of attention. The life-sized image cannot be ignored. This portrait is meant to make you, the viewer, want to reach out and transfer this sweet bundle into your own arms. I am praying that my artists hand will give this portrait the magic touch it deserves.

This composition was derived from three photo images and some imagination. I will post again as I near completion. I do hope you enjoy!
Also, welcome to so many new subscribers. Please share the link with friends.
Prayers continually for all who are suffering as our world experiences turmoil. Shalom, Diana

I have several paintings in the process and hope to concentrate on finishing them so that I can get started on the large project I have begun. There was a while when I thought I would do fewer or maybe none of the large paintings that I have been known for. I figured I would just do head and shoulders or maybe some naturescapes. During the time of my cataract surgery and recovery, I did that. Even now, I have several awaiting completion. There is one problem. I am having trouble getting glasses that are helpful in seeing and painting the large ones. Simply put, I can use my reading lenses for these smaller ones but they don’t work for the larger ones, so I’m struggling. I’m tired of waiting to get glasses that work so I guess I will just try to paint with vision that isn’t perfect.
These head and shoulders can fool a person. They look simple, then, they aren’t! But another layer of flesh after this dries, a few more bright blond fly away hairs, and, voila! Finished! Talk to you later! Diana

I am still struggling to find the right lens set up in my glasses since cataract surgery. And then, there is this vertigo! But, I picked up a pair of reading glasses at the pharmacy which were OK until I had to look away from the painting!
So here is what I accomplished in spite of all that. I worked on eyes, teeth, hair and another more opaque layer on the background! I love it when a portrait says, ‘yep!’ Now I better check on dinner so I don’t burn it! Hugs and have fun painting. Diana

Here is Colton. I will probably do one or two more layers of flesh, then glazes to adjust the pink/reds. Then hair and finish the shirt. The gums, teeth and eyes. Clients have no idea what it takes to do these portraits. I just couldn’t slap it onto the canvas and call it quits. My goal is to express the artful representation of this soul. I’m thinking another layer on the background too. I have been dealing with vertigo for over a week now. And I still don’t have glasses that Work well. It is a little discouraging. Well, I get to see my students soon. That will pick me up. I hope you can enjoy a cozy rest of your winter. Diana

It may not seem like much but this subtle layer takes the portrait to a better place! In this reference, there are heavy shadows. I want them to be there, yet, not so predominate. I began with a transparent layer of flesh, then sculpted with white and Naples yellow. The subtle difference is that I toned down the heavy shadows with the same sculpting colors. Always try to follow the flow of the light. Today, I also added the first layer of flesh to my mother and baby since parts of it had not received this layer. These skin tones will need to be quite pink. That will come in successive layers. I also added a primatura layer to a canvas that is 38 x 48”. That is a step that takes a lot of energy and patience. Needless to say, we had soup for supper. I may not post for a few days. Enjoy your families. Hugs, Diana

I have yet to add several more layers of flesh but since yesterday’s work is not dry, I worked first on the stripes of his shirt, then added more definition to the hair. I wanted to do some of the blonde color but it just wouldn’t work out, so I mixed some yellow ochre with some flesh and then some of my neutral dark (ultra marine blue and burnt umber). The color I got is a good dark blonde. I had no trouble getting the patterns of hair loosely in place. Also, I had shaded the bottom teeth and added a few light lashes and brows. They will dry and won’t be lost when I add another layer of flesh on top. I got a little color on the shirt besides the stripes. I wasn’t expecting to spend the entire afternoon on this but with a few phone calls, the day has flown by. I am happy this is turning out well. I will begin his brother and sister soon. I have all my grandchildren done except for two who live out of state. I am working on several other works too. I hope my posts are beneficial to novice portrait painters. Yesterday I came upon some documentation from a student of William Adolph Bouguereau. He describes Bouguereau’s method and I have always thought he used the indirect method. This verify’s my guess. I printed the three pages so my class can see it. To anyone who sees this blog, please subscribe and pass it on to other artists. I would like this info to be available to them. Thanks! Have a blessed day. Diana

I always want my portraits to come out well. Sometimes it seems so easy. Other times, not so much. I was not pleased with the one I did of his brother and so I will begin that again as soon as I finish this. I chose much better images. Both have a lot of sunlight. Also, they are showing their best smiles. The format is twelve by sixteen. That is close to life size. I will do quite a few more layers of flesh and maybe one more on the background. Photos always seem like X-rays so they don’t show the true surface. I wish I knew how to fix that. Today, I also worked on a large painting that I began about a year ago. Time goes so fast. In that time I did several very small paintings. I am still having trouble seeing well. I can’t get lenses that are as helpful as what I had before the cataract surgery. That is frustrating because the doctor assured me it would be better or at least as good, and it is not.. anyway, This is one of my series of mountain stream paintings. Almost the entire background is waterfall. Little bubbling brook waterfalls. I really enjoy painting these even though I cannot seem to paint a landscape without a portrait in front of the landscape. I’m feeling like I want to spend more time painting and less time doing other stuff. I even told my doctor to limit tests to the very most important ones. I don’t like to be cold but winter gives me time to hibernate and get mor art done. I am doing a very large format painting of one of my daughters. The drawing is a real challenge.so, for now, that is my update. Enjoy your art efforts. I am so thankful for this. Apt TMH. Hugs, Diana

I use a flesh tone that is a general, overall color. Then I sculpt the three dimensionality with white or Naples yellow. This is only the first of numerous layers and it always looks blotchy. Use your best sable brushes and follow the patterns of light as you work the entire flesh area. You should only work on one area at a time, such as the face or an arm or other flesh part. The idea is to only begin as much as you can finish while wet. As you apply the brighter areas, keep in mind that you should also go over the shadow areas with a feather light touch. This practice will unite the light and dark areas of a portrait creating a natural and believable appearance. Remember, this is not a finished layer. You will perfect this flesh area with each pass and also refine it with glazes of color appropriate to the reference or sitter. Painting this method is a concept you can only learn from doing. Don’t let it stop you in your tracks. If you paint with intent and patience, you should gain skill with each attempt. Shalom, Diana

When I began making portraits, I was not happy with the depth and realism of the flesh. At some point I realized that they need something more: skin! After transferring my drawing to canvas, I try to perfect the brights and the darks. This not only achieves a likeness, it also emphasizes the light. This is what makes a portrait good or ‘ ho-hum’. Now, I will retouch the brights and darks and then begin with the glazes of flesh colors.

Last year I worked on a smaller portrait of my other great grandson, a brother to Colton. I still couldn’t see well from my cataract surgery and it is the only portrait I’ve done that did not make me happy. So, I began again with this one and I feel better already. Then I will do his brother again with a different image, one I like a lot. Then on to the sister. Busy, busy, busy.

In the spring I was told my glocoma could be remedied at the same time as the cataract removal so we set that into motion. Several complications occurred and when I finally went back to my art, several more complications arose. It is November and I am still trying to get glasses that will allow me to paint on a large canvas without changing glasses every minute. That sure prevents an artist from getting in the ‘zone’. Now I am waiting to have a pair of split focus, not progressive, bifocal glasses made. I hope it helps.
For now, you will see that I am working on smalls and on detail for a few portraits. I can see pretty good at close up range. I think I will begin to limit my show entries to one or two a year. I want to use my time working on things I feel are more urgent, like these portraits of my grandchildren. Actually, this is a great grand child! He has two brothers and a sister. I already did one of his little brother but I am not satisfied with it. I will do a different image. Well, I want to get back to work. Hugs, Diana