Portraits : One , Two , Three . Take Two!

 " In The Shade"

 Portraits are as easy as one, two three?

Not really but oh boy are they fun.

 Following on from yesterdays blog post showing how I created a face from a simple wash I thought it would be fun to show you how much more fun I can have with the very same painting. Making small changes and adding details to change the painting further. Remember this piece is headed for the bin so it doesn't matter if anything goes wrong. I am just having fun. 

If you remember I finished yesterdays portrait "one, two, three" demonstration at this stage. 

If I am not selling a painting I will push the boundaries and work on it until I cannot add more either in colour or detail. There is no learning value in just painting for something to do. I need to keep working to discover how I can change or improve a painting and at the same time improve my own skills.

Look what I did next and after that too! I had so much fun.

I added a cap. And a dark background. And a red scarf. My gentleman looks younger here.

One

Adding a cap and scarf and taking away the years.

 Next with the simple use of gouache I added a beard and a twinkle in the eyes!

Two

 Adding a beard and ageing my subject

 I built up the beard gradually and added a hint of a pair of spectacles next

 Three

 " In The Shade"

Just simple changes from my imagination created several different results in my painting. 

Experimenting is valuable when learning to paint. As is having fun. And this is why I love writing and sharing my tips on working in watercolour.

So now my portrait looks very different from here, where I stopped working yesterday.

 Even more different from this stage below

 And just look where it all started. A colour " blob"

I absolutely adored writing my chapter on how to paint faces in my latest book "Jean Haines World of Watercolour" The professional photographer had the opportunity to record my brushstrokes and show how I built up a painting in a way that I cant on a blog post. And I am so  thrilled to be working with such a great publisher who has the best team to hep me share my techniques in my publications.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

You can buy a copy of "Jean Haines World of Watercolour "via this link

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jean-Haines-World-Watercolour/dp/1782210393

Portraits are on pages 130 - 142. With the challenge of growing as an artist included.

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Portraits : One Two Three

 Can you see a face yet?

 I have no idea why I started painting portraits the way that I do . I just did. I was attending art classes in Dubai studying portraiture  in oils. The tutor was a master at his skill and I loved the classes. But the paintings always seemed lifeless to me. Perfect but lifeless.

Hours were spent sketching which has taught me in good stead for observational skills. But once the portraits were sketched onto canvas what followed was a basic form of filling in colour to build up the painting. Perfectly. And yes, there were incredible paintings created with superb likenesses. I spent ages in that class. Taking months to complete each piece. All of which were sadly stolen so I have no portraits to cherish from that time in my art life.

But as I moved to watercolour from oil I wanted something more from my work. And I developed my own way of painting portraits. Now each time I hold workshops I often close a session by painting a face. At first the class watch as a "blob of colour" appears on paper in front of them. Next I look for the light hitting the face. And at this stage my first wash looks a little bit of a mess. 

Like this!

One.

 

 First wash of a portrait. 

Working without a sketch and just adding colour where I feel it should be.

 This portrait is of an elderly French gentleman that I met on my travels in France. He was sat in a French market watching the world go by and who could blame him on a Summers day with so much colour to enjoy and terrific people passing by.

Next I add just a touch of detail. Not much but enough so that I can recognise the face has features.

This takes it away from being just a colour blob and turns the wash into something more recognisable.

  Two

 Now my subject is looking directly at me!

 I now have to be so careful. I don't want to lose the freshness in the piece but I do need to define a few more sections. With my rigger brush I now add the fine lines needed to complete the painting.

Three.

"Kindness"

I tend to paint these portraits at the end of my working day. Not to sell. But to improve my skills. I set time limits to improve my accuracy and speed at capturing the subject.

This is an enjoyable exercise and fun.

Portraits as easy as one, two  ,three?

Not really as I have been doing this for some time now. But practise does help.

I painted a memorable portrait in front of the workshop class in Tasmania . The organiser watched spellbound and said. " Thats' it.. I'm now convinced you are a witch. No one can produce faces just like that"

Which made me laugh!

Sharing what we know and how we paint is a wonderful gift to possess as an artist.  I am often asked why I do give so much away when I write my blog posts or share online. I can't  fit everything I want to share in my books and I know by the time I have worked through the one I am working on now I may have forgotten to share this demonstration.

So please enjoy it and have fun painting faces. Like me you could become addicted!

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There is more on painting portraits in my latest book " Jean Haines World of Watercolour" which includes lots of tips on how to paint them.

Magic Faces : Portraits in Watercolour

Expressive Face appearing from a simple first wash in watercolour

I fell in love with painting portraits when I lived in Dubai. Not only because I was surrounded continually by wonderfully characteristic Arabian faces with stunning facial features; but also because I trained under a fantastic Indian artist who taught me how to work in oil. I loved learning about skin tones and how to place features correctly.  My work at this time was highly detailed to the point of perfection. But something was missing from my results. I quickly discovered it was the lack of a feeling of "life". I seemed to be addicted to painting from photographs, copying exactly what I saw, step by step, with each new brushstroke.  My work was predictable and so wooden. Over time the better my work became the less I liked it. I felt as though I was falling onto a path followed by a million artists before me and even worse, my pleasure in painting potraits gradually disappeared.  That is, until I started working without a preliminary sketch.  All of a sudden the practise of sketching and painting perfectly aided the new direction I was heading in and my passion for painting faces grew again, with each painting.

In time I developed a personal technique where I would choose the colouring for my subject and with a few brushstrokes, along with very careful application of water,  truly expressive faces started to appear. Many with an atmospheric sense of mystery. I was so happy at this time in my career, when I first started  working on a series of these faces. I used to teach Watercolour courses at the Dubai International Arts Centre which at that time was on the beachfront. It was a beautiful art centre where many artists shared their love of the arts, willingly giving their techniques in so many classes. I had been successfully selling scenes of dancing ladies, landscapes and many paintings of camels in local galleries. When I fell in love with creating these faces I was told by galleries and fellow artists alike that faces as a subject "wouldn't sell". But I have never been an artist that paints for financial reasons so I didn't listen.  I always have, and I always will paint what I enjoy so that each of my creations is fresh and  full of the passion I feel when I hold a brush.

As my technique developed I started painting these faces with red wine, coffee, left over tea.  Absolutely anything that mixed with water  became my new way of working. I was addicted! Eventually these faces became not only popular but highly collectable. To the point where galleries were phoning me and sking if I had any more. In every exhibition these faces were sought after and always sold first.

Over time I moved  from Dubai to Hong Kong, France, Belgium and eventually back to UK. My magical faces took a back seat while I became distracted with so many other subjects in each of these different countries. But today, like an old friend calling to me, I felt the urge to return to my beloved mystery faces and the above image is my first creation this year, in my technique. This possibly needs a little definition to make this a completed painting. But if you study the painting at this stage everything is already there and such an expression is present. It holds mystery without working on this futher. Mystery that could disappear if I add detail.

I often tell artists on my workshops to stop when they can see what the subject is and that is exactly what I am going to do with this piece. It made me feel wonderful when I painted it, as it brought back so many happy memories. So to work further on this would lose that feeling of connected emotion. But I will be starting another portrait straight away.

There is a moral to this blog post. Had I listened to everyone telling me that faces were a waste of time to paint because they wouldn't sell, I would never have  learned so much as an artist. Or grown in my technique or art journey. And by  staying strong and sticking to my own way of working I found success  by accident. My advise is always paint what you enjoy, only listen to advise from others if it suits you and remember, others aren't always right!

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Spanish Siesta

Siesta Time

I am enjoying a wonderful break in Spain and will admit that I needed a quiet period to start 2013. With so much going on that is exciting in my art career, switching off to relax has become  almost impossible. I say that, but to be honest, I am relaxed all of the time because I enjoy what I do so much. But I am always busy. I am either working on exhibitions, preparing for my workshops or writing for my new book or magazine interviews. Not a day passes where I am not  working on a new project.

With a year ahead of travelling for my International Watercolour Workshops and a major solo show coming up it seemed like a brilliant idea to wind down and totally relax in Spain for a break. However after a few wonderful weeks of taking it easy, my brain kicked in this morning. I couldn't wait to get up and start writing and painting. Last night I had worked on two beautiful portraits and my imagination was working over time allnight on how to continue when I started my painting sessions today.

There was no choice, I had to wake this morning and paint while the mood hit me, regardless of how early it was. But there is another factor that led to my being wide awake. I have gotten used to the Spanish Siesta which is wonderful at the time allowing me to paint later in the evening. But the draw back is I am just not tired enough to sleep late the next day. I am up with the larks!

My batteries are being beautifully recharged and I almost pity anyone booked on my UK workshops because I am raring to go!

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Facing Faces

Faces from my Market Scene Characters

Whilst working on my colourful market scenes some of my characters are quickly becoming firm favourites to paint. Each time I add a new figure to a composition their head dress or clothing may change as does their facial expressions.

These are reminding me of my time living in Dubai when I used to paint faces regularly for local galleries. These small studies became really popular at the time.

Taking time out at the end of my painting session today I worked on a few small pieces of paper to bring each market scene character to life  via a few simple brushstrokes and placement of colour.

Tomorrow is going to be a day for faces and even more market scenes.

How wonderful to always have something new to look forward to. Although in this case I am going back to my old friends of yesteryear!

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Days Gone By

First wash of an old man from Dubai.

 Working in my studio this afternoon I grabbed a half finished portrait and decided to try out some of the techniques from my next book on it  just to see what  would happen. I expected to throw my experiment in the bin as I was only painting for fun but I know once eyes have been added it could be quite interesting.

I have no idea why I have this fixation for painting portraits  or small studies of people from all over the world. It has been a long time habit of mine to paint on scraps of paper to  unwind at the end of the day often working from my imagination bringing a familiar character to life.

Sometimes it will be a gentle watercolour wash hinting at a face,sometimes it will be a complete painting. This all started when I lived in Dubai and fell in love with how a fabulous artist painted faces there. Tina Siddiqui to  this day still inspires my portraits as her knowldge and skill at the time was amazing to observe when she demonstrated in art classes.

I was working in pastel mainly back then for portraits, later I moved to painting them in watercolour.

I don't think I will ever outgrow this passion, or addiction as it seems to be and this week could just be the week for painting faces!

Days Gone By

PORTRAITS IN WATERCOLOUR

PORTRAITS IN WATERCOLOUR

   Jacob

.....working on a series of portraits finding how lost in thought I am