|
 "Michael Shane Neal Demonstrates"
I began the process of creating my portrait of Chief Judge Scirica with a visit to his chambers in Philadelphia. My commission was to create his official portrait for the court. A big believer in homework. I read a great deal about my subject before our first meeting.We began by enjoying a nice lunch together before I completed a photo-shoot in his chanbers.
I made numerous digital photos trying multiple poses, and also created a quick sketch in oil on a canvas board as my first introduction to my subject in paint. No matter how brief the sketching encounter (in this case 40 minutes), I find it too be very valuable part of the process of getting to know my subject. It will also help me to select good reference photos that more accurately capture the gesture and character of my subject. Like sketching the landscape, I remember more from this experience than to I do from any snapshot with a camera.
This entire process took most of the afternoon. I am now ready to return to the studio where I will study the reference and begin the portrait.
Stage 1. DRAWING
I love to draw (it was my first love as an artist), but I love to paint even more! Consequently I begin by sketching only the major proportions in soft charcoal . I fear a detailed drawing will lead to a filling in of the shapes and not the massing of major proportions. The latter I believe can help to create a more "painterly" approach throughout. Hopefully with accuracy and energy I attempt to "feel" the gestere onto the canvas while utilizing the length of the head as a unit of measurement of the major proportions. Once established I can refine the drawing with paint.
Stage 2. THE EFFECT
It is always a challenge to work on a white canvas (a mid tone is easier to judge value), but sometinmes I use white to make me think a little differenely. Always using one process can be dangerous! There are many "roads to Rome" as Sargent once said! Here I establish the overall effect of the porrtait. Considering the direction of the light source. relationships of color and value. I also squint to simplify the shapes and to ceate the broadest relationships I can.
Stage3. THE PARTICULAR
Now that the canvas is fuly covered and the major effect is established. I can now spend time developing the areas of focus such as the head. I am only just now thinking of likeness in a more specific way. In the previous steps I was only seeking the character of my model, the gesture of his pose, and the overalll effect of the composition .
Stage4. SHIP WITHOUT A SAIL
The portrait is now coming into sharper focus I begin to refine the head, hands, and robe, but I also begin to grow stale from the reference photos. Although I have returned to them constantly along with my oil sketch and the memories of my sitter, I crave time with my subject insted of pushing forward from the photos I arrange for a sitting in my studio and I leave the portrait until our next meeting .
Stage5. LIFE SITTING
In This stage I have enjoyed two days of life sittings with my subject. We began late in the afternoon, enjoyed dinner together, then spent the following morning in the studio. The two sittings totaled about 7 hours of painting. The purpose was to develop the portrait further, refine the likeness, get feedback from my sitter., and make additional photos as refernce. I am constantly thinking about value, proportions, structure and volume, edges, and color relationships.
Stage 6. THE FINISH
In the finished portait I have spent considerable time on evvery area of the portrait. No portion has not succumbed to numerous adjustments as I worked to find my subjects likeness, quiet strength, and unique character. I even elected to reduce the size fo the canvas by a couple of inches vertically. I am constanttly striving for simplicity in effect, brushwork and compositon. With the simplicity fof my earliser stages in mind I often edit once more anywheer I can as I near the finish.
|
