Portrait Tips - Part One

Knitting - oil painting by Mrs I Westcott

Here are a few pointers to help you map out the facial features of your sitter. The following are guidelines only as the characteristics of individual sitter's may vary:

• The bottom of the eye socket is at the mid point of the face.

• The top of the ears are on a line with the eyebrows.

• The bottom of the ears are on a line with the end of the nose.

• There is one eye's width between the eyes.

• The distance between the pupils is a bit wider than the width of the lips.

• The skull is as deep as the length of the face.

• The back of the skull is slightly wider than the face.

• Capturing the person's hairstyle is integral to creating a successful likeness.

Part two to follow soon!

Best wishes

Lee  

Creating a Successful Landscape or Seascape

Luccombe to Culver - an original painting by Lee Papworth 2015

Here are a few ideas to assist you in creating successful landscapes and seascapes:

Choose the correct size and shape support (Canvas, board, paper etc.) for your intended painting

Armatures, plan and organise the direction and flow of the composition

(5 best ones – S, L, Diagonal, Triangle and Radiating Lines)

Think in terms of abstract shapes (masses) forget detail at the start

Be dynamic with your composition, crop for drama

Create an entrance

Choose a point of view (low, high or normal)

Have a focal poiint

Think foreground, middle ground and background when choosing

a composition

Don’t be afraid to modify/edit a composition to make it visually stronger

Remember in the western world we read text left to right (this also applies to reading art) have something of interest on the left hand side

Try to lead the eye into and around a landscape painting, try to avoid too many horizontals or objects in the centre blocking your progress into the painting also avoid awkward edges

Have a strong sense of perspective (both aerial and linear) make sure your painting gives the illusion of depth, make it recede

Detail and definition get less towards the background (choose cool colours in the background to achieve this)

Choose an interesting subject (use a view finder/L shapes - ‘en plein air’)

Do prep work – pencil sketches, colour sketches in paint

Commence painting fully prepared 

Paint the details last

And most importantly - Enjoy!!

Best wishes

Lee

Walking to Shanklin - an original painting by Lee Papworth 2015