Learning objectives
- Practise the
- technique
- Follow a traditional method of oil painting
- Learn from the past
I occasionally watch videos on You Tube where a portrait artist begins with an eye then a fully formed and highly finished image unfolds as it would from an ink jet printer. This ability to see and reproduce accurately the final surface colours of all parts of the image is impressive to watch. The results, however, are not something that I could achieve myself, as I need to experiment and play when painting, make alterations and use the happy accidents that occur along the way. Most importantly, I like to paint the entire image at the same time and watch the painting gradually evolve.
Fortunately, the method supports me in the way I paint. It has been used by artists since the middle of the Renaissance to make all painting. Last month I demonstrated how this classic method could be used to make a study of a Chardin-inspired still life and now I am going to demonstrate that it is a brilliantly simple way to paint portraits using a Modigliani painting for my reference.
