Self
portraits ©Marie Louise EriksenMarie Louise Eriksen Fine Art
Original paintings & artwork by contemporary artist Marie Louise Eriksen
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Painting a portrait - the secret of a good portrait.
The difficulty of drawing or painting a portrait is not just the fact that the end result should end up having a strong resemblance to the person portrayed. When I paint someone's portrait I also feel the need to go beyond the physical appearance and try and capture some of their character.
Self
portraits ©Marie Louise Eriksen
How to begin a portrait?
I begin by studying the person face and sometimes body language or if
that is not possible then several photographs, taken from different
angles and in different light. Usually I prefer 1/2 or 3/4 profile view,
as the shape of the nose and eye sockets are more distinct at this
angle. I also start thinking about what colors I would like to use for
the background, as this is important for the overall feel of the
portrait.
I determine where the light source is coming from as this will decide
how and where the light and shadow areas will be. This is one of the
most important steps because it is essentially the interlocking
shapes/areas of light and dark that will define the contours of the face and
eventually the accuracy and likeness of the person being portrayed. At
this stage I work only in black and white.
Mixed media portraits ©Marie Louise Eriksen
Mixed media portraits.
For mixed media portraits I start
by drawing the shape of the face and then apply liquid starch over the
areas I wish to remain white. The starch will act as a resist to prevent
the acrylics from adhering to the paper. This includes the face and
areas where I might want to add shapes in the background for later
development. When the starch is completely dry I wet the paper and add
liquid acrylic paint. I might add more water with a spray bottle to make
the colors mix on the paper surface. With practice it is possible to control the flow
of the colors to a certain degree, but there are always surprises.
When the acrylic paint has completely dried I submerge the paper in
water to remove the starch. I rub gently to remove the starch but at the
same time I am careful not to ruin the surface of the paper. When all
the starch has been removed I dry and press the paper.
I draw the large areas of light and dark and details of the face. I rely
heavily on the preliminary studies I made in black and white. Then
watercolors are mixed and painted. When the watercolors are completely
dry it's time to start the last stage of adding more details with ink
pointillism. This stage is usually the most time consuming as there are
no room for errors. I cannot go back in and paint watercolor on top of the
ink.
After the ink has dried I apply several coats of acrylic spray sealant
to protect the work. Now the portrait is finished and ready to frame!
Tips for artists: Where do you find someone who can sit still while you practice? An option is to use yourself as a model and draw or paint self portraits. Artists have a long history of painting their own portraits. The list includes Rembrandt van Rijn and Albrecht Durer, Van Dyck and Eugene Delacroix. Some of the most famous self-portraits are by Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo. Text and photos, Copyright 2006 © All Rights Reserved. Marie Louise Eriksen.
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Copyright 1999-2008 © All Rights Reserved. Marie Louise Eriksen
