Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Still Plugging Away on a Portrait


This is as far as I got on my Old World Wisconsin man this afternoon. I have to say that his scarf gave me fits. I will probably go back later and smooth out the fringe, though I don't want that part of the picture to be overly important. Looking here, I see a bigger contrast up near the , rather than on his face, which is what I want to emphasize. I think when a background goes in that will lessen the contrast in the area of his hat.

I welcome any comments on how I might handle the background. In the original photo there is a doorway, part of a window, but I think I just want color. I welcome suggestions on what you would do.

4 comments:

JoAnn said...

Sherry, I have no ideas for the background but I think your man is WONDERFUL !!!

mARTa said...

What character this guy has! You are doing a great job! I like to work the background as i work the portrait. Try to incorporate the colors of the figure into your background. Look for places you can loose your edges so the figure doesn't look pasted onto the background. I noticed the whites of his eyes seem too bright to me ( maybe just the scan). You might want to decrease their value a bit. Overall I think you have a very nice piece here. I admire that you worked so large (large for me). I like seeing it matted too!

laura said...

This look just great, Sherry--I love the scarf, and the colors you've used.
I think you're right--a simple background would be best.
Backgrounds can be bedeviling! If you're really uncertain what you want, try painting a background on an acetate overlay to see how it looks?
I'd just say keep it simple and unexciting--just use as much background as you need to focus attention on the figure, e.g., where the light hits his cheek ...
I look forward to seeing what you do (and remember, there's no rush-- )

Eloise said...

Wow, Sherry! You did a magnificent job on that painting! I am most impressed.