When I was in art school we studied facial structure, even human skulls. I use this knowledge in my portraiture. It helps to know where cheekbones and eye sockets go.

I always try to paint the exact color I’m looking at. At first it looks strange, but as the picture comes together it seems correct.

I was drawn to one of the outdoor restaurants. I couldn’t help but notice the hostess. She was so enthusiastic and cheerful. I could tell she loved her job and the people she served. I’m pretty picky about who I do portraits of, but I knew I wanted to paint her. I asked her if I could. I was so glad she said yes.

The most important thing in a portrait is the eyes. As it has been said, they are the window to the soul. In this portrait you’ll see I have her slightly turned and her head goes off the top of the canvas. These techniques add interest and draw the viewer directly to the subject.

Recently I asked if I could do his portrait. I met him in his studio. I took photos of him from a lot of different angles – some with him standing next to his easel, others showing him painting. When I looked at all of the pictures, I felt more interested in a facial study than a typical portrait. That’s just what I did.

You’ll notice his face is turned slightly to the side and he is looking down. This is portrayed by having the forehead area much larger than the chin, and the right side  of his face is actually smaller in area than the left. His glasses show up below his eyes, not because he’s pushed them down his nose, but because of the view from above. Also notice the different planes of the face with a variety of color and values.

Tom wrote:

I set up my portable easel in front of the mirror over our dresser, then got a canvas, my pallette, and brushes. I opened the blinds so the side of my face would be illuminated. Here is the result of my efforts after a few hours. Note the light and dark sides of my face. Also look for highlights in my eyes.

Portraits are a specialty of Tom’s. He loves doing them. This is one of his favorite subjects, musician Roy Gentry. -SF

I set up my portable easel in front of the mirror over our dresser, then got a canvas, my pallette and brushes.  I opened the blinds so the side of my face would be illuminated.  Here is the result of my efforts after a few hours.  Note the light and dark sides of my face.  Also look for highlights in my eyes.

If you’re ever bored, try it.

I did a portrait of his wife (see my October 26, 2009 post “Jennifer”) and wanted to do a matching portrait of him.  He’s not nearly as pretty as she is, but he is very handsome and has a great personality.  I wanted to portray the sparkle in his eyes and his fun-loving personality.

Look at his eyes.  On the right side you’ll see white highlights.  They travel clear over to the left side.  Look at at the right side of his face.  It is closer to the light source, so is painted very light.  On the left side of the nose and face you see darker paint, representing shadow.  That gives dimension to the face.  Note the smile wrinkles at the sides of the eyes to give personality.

I was at my daughter’s house. I asked her to sit next to a window so I could get natural light. This portrait is what was painted.

Note the color of her hair and face on the left side. It is painted white because that is what I actually saw as the outside light illumnated her face. Next, look at her eyes. As the light shines through the irises, the right sides lighten up to a light yellow. There is a highlight on the eye on the left. It is on the white of the eye and crosses slightly into the iris. These techniques give life to them.