Portrait Painting

So you are thinking of having a portrait painted of yourself or a loved one. Where do you start?  What’s involved?  Have you considered the process? When someone sits for a portrait they are not sure what is expected of them. We are all so used to people taking photographs that we can just shrug it off. But a portrait, even if it is a photographic one, means  we are being observed very intensely .This can be quite an unnerving experience. There is an element of expectation and unknowing

We all have an image in our head of how  we view ourselves.  So, to expose that view to scrutiny can be challenging, exciting and enlightening. It is said that no two people see things in the same way. Well among artists it is very obvious that approaches to  how they  work are many and varied.

 

Each Artist has a particular way of working; some work only from life others only from photographic reference. I like to work from both, as it gives me and the sitter the ability to be flexible.  I also feel the results are better, if I have met the subject. Painting from an existing photograph is possible if circumstance dictate that the subject can not attend a sitting as in a surprise gift 

Another consideration when choosing an artist is to view previous works that they have completed as this will show their style and give you an insight into the way your portrait will look So that said, I am always willing to try to use your own reference photos if the circumstances of the commission warrant it.

 If you wish to have the experience of sitting for a portrait the procedure is as follows:

Each session lasts approximately two hours. Full-figure poses, or ones depicting both hands, may need extra sittings. The number of sittings can vary and can be agreed at the first meeting.

At the first session, I learn about the subject, and we decide together on the setting, and composition. I like to  do some quick drawings, colour sketches for skin tones and photographs preferable taken by myself.  I can however use your photographs if required to expedite the process as much as possible .We can then schedule subsequent sessions/ process consecutively or over a period of several weeks,.  I can usually complete a portrait based on two sessions of 2 hours if time is of the essence. I find however that a good portrait dictates what is needed during the process of painting itself.

 

Genevieve

This portrait was a product of some work I was doing with a youth group where I live.  One of the things we did was to give them art lessons through the winter months. We encourage the group to take part in drawing and sometimes painting. I often take a piece in that I am currently working on for them to see. Some of the young people are quite talented. This portrait was instigated by one of these evenings. We had been drawing and I was still sat at the table when Genevieve came and sat opposite me. As we were talking she moved into the pose of the portrait and I did a quick sketch. I also took a couple of phone pictures.

Towards the end of August I came across the phone pic on my computer. As the Youth group was off for the Summer I decided to ask Genevieve and her Mum, if I could paint her portrait based on the photos and the sketch.

We planned to have some 15 minute sittings at the youth group, thereby creating ongoing interest with the other members.

After initially doing a pastel sketch, with which I wasn't particularly happy, because of difficulties with colour, I moved on to a pencil drawing which is my preferred medium. This was taken into the Youth group and discussed with Genevieve, with others joining in. Having agreed the format and that it would be a painting (acrylic as it is transportable and dries quickly) I then created a canvas from some stretchers I already had and some cloth material I had for the purpose of trying it out. The canvas was prepared using Acrylic gesso which I coloured some shades of grey. The next stage was to draw the portrait proportions (20x20 ins.) onto the canvas. I find that I need to get the drawing correct at the beginning as it is crucial to the foundation of the portrait. After each adjustment in the studio the portrait would travel in to the youth group for adjustments from life. For me this was the best part of the deal. I would love to have a sitter there all the time if it was practical.

Time frame

Jan    2011     Phone Picture and Sketch

Aug   2011     Stumble on phone pictures in the

          Computer

Sept   2011     Talk to Mum & Genevieve

Oct    2011      Start drawing process and make arrangements for sittings

Dec    2011      Painting completed

If you are Interested just contact us via the information below

e-mail     petergreenpeg@gmail.com or via the blog

Portrait Workshops, Models & Artists Wanted

On Fridays at  Beach Creative, Beach House, Beach Street, Herne Bay, CT 5 PT

Looking  for another model. The system is simple. We ask a model to sit for two, three hour, sessions on a Friday from 10.00 to 13.00,  of course with breaks and we have between four to eight artists who  attend. In return the model receives a finished portrait for sitting .  The portraits in this blog are from workshops earlier in the year.

 Bi - George

As I am responsible for the completed portraits I have to ensure that the quality of the portraits is of an acceptable level which of course is debatable. So far the models that we have used I have known previously for some time and I am familiar to an extent with their characters. I feel it is important to work from life and photographic reference  as I try to combine the two approaches. The ideal would be to only work from life but my working methods would require the model to spend an unacceptable amount of time sitting so I compromise. This process still takes time and the sitter may have to wait for the portrait to be completed for several weeks.

Katrina

I like to explore how I can incorporate some of the traits I see in the sitter in to the portrait but I do not have a particular idea in mind when I start. I like ideas to creep up on me while I am painting or considering the sitter. I  would say my style is contemporary realism as I wish to a have recognizable portrait that is clearly painted. My aim is to get the sitters to enjoy the process, as it is not a normal activity for most of us to be painted, and hopefully, happy  to hang  the finished portrait on their wall.

The main reason for the workshop is to encourage artists new or old to take a look at portraiture and to be able to try it.The method we use allows for about six hours of painting from life and the addition of  a photograph to use between sittings.  All at an affordable cost. I hope that you might like to join us either painting or modeling.  If you live near or can get to Herne Bay during the day, why not consider having your portrait painted by myself and the other Artists who attend the workshop.

Our next  portrait session take place on 8th - 15th November and another to follow  29th November - 6th December 

If you wish to see more work why not look at my Facebook page;- Peter Green  (PEG)

   

Madrid

Looking forward to my Trip to Madrid to see my friend Luis Kerch, a painter of landscapes or as he would say a painter of light! This is a sample of his work that I find very ethereal and mystic.  It has a touch of fantasy about it, yet it was painted in Sandwich,Kent.  This part of the world is renowned for its light and Turner loved to come to Kent for its dramatic sunsets. The colours are so saturated, almost unreal in their variation. If you captured  them on a canvas people would call it a fantasy just like Luis's painting .

I am new to this.

     

As a newbie  I thought I would explain who I am and what I do.The aim of this blog is, hopefully, to get my work seen by more  people. So here goes.

 Art has been a part of my life since childhood; at the heart of everything from illustrations for my children’s bedtime stories to using my drawing skills throughout my career. Now art is my love and my profession.

I have been painting and drawing since I was a young boy. Initially, my interest lay with nature - animals, birds and landscapes. I suppose I had an idyllic childhood, free to roam the fields with my friends and enjoy many sports. Through it all however, drawing was always very close by and has been the one thing that has been a constant in my life. I find I can express myself and explain things much better through art than with language. 

I’ve always been very practical, making things – always using my hands. I became an electrician, engineer and manager and used my drawing skills to convey understanding as part of my daily working life. And when I had time I would escape to sketch and draw for fun – with a pocket sketchbook and pencil always to hand.

As a father of nine it was only natural that the subject of my passion for art would come out through my life with my family. As my family grew I dabbled in pictures to entertain the children, bringing characters and stories to life. As both my passions in life merged I had the desire to capture my children and memories of them with drawings and my art. So in time the subject matter for my pieces evolved.

Most of my work has been of subjects that are close to me; my family and friends - with portraits as the main theme, often as gifts with requests for the occasional commission

The question is though - did I consider myself to be an artist? I think not. I have always seen myself as more of a student. I love art and am continuously learning and growing each day. I’ve spent decades visiting and appreciating art galleries and exhibitions – always seeking out art wherever I happen to be. I regularly visit the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery, and like to go to special exhibitions. But still, to this day, my favourite gallery of all time is the Mall Gallery in London as it captures the essence of the English art scene, which is close to my heart.

In 2011, I entered my first competition, The Lancelot Andrewes Awards at Southwark Cathedral London (19^th to 30^th September 2011). With the theme of ‘Alienation’ I entered a piece called “El Rio” and was awarded a High Commendation and my artwork was exhibited. This had a profound effect on me as I realised that I might just be a ‘real’ Artist!  

Since then, I have regularly exhibited my work locally and entered national competitions. This year I was pre-selected for the Royal Portrait Exhibition and the Threadneedle Prize at the Mall Galleries. I feel it is only a matter of time and hard work before I fulfill my lifelong dream and ambition to see my own work exhibited in the Mall.

Sharing my love for art with others and continuing to better myself and my understanding of how art can help others is a new passion for me too. I run Portrait workshops at Beach Creative in Herne Bay with my wife and support vulnerable adults with art sessions at the Umbrella group.

Whether that makes me an artist or not is for others to decide, but art is now my life, my passion and my profession and - my business card says I am, so I must be!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peter-Green-PEG/170048073069663