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This portrait was done as more of an experiment to play with traditional techinques using a solid brown underpainting and
a fairly tight painting style. My friend John posed for the piece and tried his best to look mean, but its just not in him.
I hope this shows some expression of feeling for what the old soldiers must have felt in seeing a new world being torn apart
yet knowing their own aging and destiny in troubled times. I may do more images of past figures, it was certainly fun to do.
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| Pencil line with thin reddish brown oil was, then let dry overnight |
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| Heavy oil with liquin medium washed over then let to dry overnight |
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| Burnt umber browns for underpainting base |
The first 3 images are really just about an hours worth of work, with an overnight drying time in between each stage.
Basically I used an oil wash with mineral spirits to tone the raw canvas and seal the thin pencil drawing. This piece is only
20x30" and I often do quick studies this size to break from larger paintings, so I am in a habit of doing them in a few quick
stages.
The second image uses liquin mixed with a heavier wash and the 3rd image, above, uses liquin medium with burnt umber to form
a base value, both drying faster by the use of the medium and set in front of a fan overnight.
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| Black and darker brown over the dry brown underpainting |
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| More opaques added, arm redrawn and some color begins |
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| More redrawing of the arm, further color |
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| Background gray added, first pass |
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| Background futher blocked in, ready for overpainting of 2nd darker layer |
At this point most of the base values are in and I can begin to darken the painting. Since I don't have to worry about
the drawing any more, I can concentrate on the feeling and density of the next layers to enhance the realism overall.
The difference between this stage and the final, below, is 4 or 5 layers of transparent paint, carefully built up to form
a rich overall tone, especially in the skin and background areas. Browns work especially well to create a golden patina and
there are several paint makers now offering a range of quality transparent hues. I especially like the ones from Dan Smith.
If you have questions of specific colors used, I can list them here for future reference, although its the translucent combination
of colors, red over brown over a golden ochre, even some transparent blue to deepen the shadows, that give the overall tone,
not just brown on a white or gray base.
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| The Old Conquisador 20x30" oil on canvas |
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