oil on canvas
private collection
28"X36"
www.djfitzgerald.com
This one was really a challenge and the reason I have not been blogging this summer! I have been working on this one forever it seems! The initial photos were taken 6 years ago! They finally decided what they wanted to do 2 years ago ... but they wanted a more recent photo of Sara. So I took a few head shots of her... at the correct angle with the right lighting etc... I have done this before, but for some reason this one was harder to make it work. Another thing... the initial photos were 35 mm and of the whole bodies.... so cropping down to the upper half left me little details in the photos.... I am so spoiled to digital! I still feel like I could work on it some more. But I have other clients that are getting impatient, not to mention some bills that would like to get paid! So I have to let it go.... I delivered it to its home yesterday and the client and subject were happy... She wants me to do a portrait of her son and another one of her two dogs! So all is good!
Beautiful artwork.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed wandering around your posts and viewing your lovely portraits
Thank you Sue! I will have to check out your blog soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Debi
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my Blog ... I've been away from the drawing board for a few weeks, hence all the photos rather than artwork in my posts.
I'm intrigued by the very detailed backgrounds you do for your portraits .... how about a few WIP pics for we artists who are afraid to venture into this area LOL
Thank you Sue!! I actually have several WIPs on this blog. The problem is that by the time I remember to take some photos I am well into the subjects. Recently I have just been a little too lazy to stop and take the photos!! I usually do the backgrounds first and then I "lay" the subjects on top so to speak. I will go back in the end to clean up or change the BGs if it needs changing. In the pastels, I do a hatching for the BGs. It seems to help to pop the subjects forward. It keeps the BGs on the soft side and impressionistic unless the BG is important to the client... then I will put in more details. In my oils I just try to stay as impressionistic as possible. I do have a tendency to get too tight with the subjects... so it makes it more fun to be loose with the BGs. Go back in my archive to march 2011 and go forward... there are several WIPs... one in particular is the Hattaway family... quite a challenging pastel. And there is an oil that I did for the Aiken Steeplechase poster in oil that I managed to do a good WIP. The piece I am working on now is already too far along to do a good WIP. The next one I will try to do several while doing the BG. And I will "try" to describe what I am doing and why.
ReplyDeleteI did go back a ways on your blog to see some of your art work... very nice. I also visited your web site. Nicely done! I really need to try to do some work to submit to competitions. That is one thing I have never done. I have to work so hard to keep up with the commissions and to keep them coming in, that when I have time off, I don't want to do more art!
Thanks for taking the time to respond so fully. I've looked back at every post to early 2011 (fabulous work) and now need to crack on with some 'real work' of my own LOL
ReplyDeleteNow you've mentioned it I can see the hatching in the background although its less obvious in some than others. I really have to overcome my 'fear' of backgrounds and do some practicing I think.
Thanks again
Do a couple of pastel landscapes for practice... that is all they are but with a subject in them. One other tip... I try to use some of the colors from my subjects in the BG. It helps to bring them together.
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