This is a charcoal sketch for a commissioned pastel portrait of two celebrities (No, I cannot tell you who they are -yet). The portrait is a 'surprise' gift for the pretty lady, hence the faces have been obscured. Unlike my normal process, here I am using a client supplied photograph as the main reference source for this portrait. Normally however I work from a half dozen of my own reference photos taken in natural light, and sometimes live sketches (when possible). I really enjoy the creative process of taking photos, and observing the subject first hand, as it gives me greater insight into their personality, and allows me an opportunity to observe nuances that photographs often lack. Even so, this will be a fun portrait.
As always, I begin each portrait with a value study, either in charcoal, or whatever medium I am working in. The study functions as the under-drawing for the painting, allowing me to develop the basic layout, establish the dark values, and check the drawing for accuracy. This particular reference photo is a striking image, but it was printed using sepia tones, thus the colors are not true. So in order to gather enough information to render their skin tones accurately, I also needed to acquire a dozen or so small snapshots of each of the subjects. Certain values and subtle facial details are blown away in this photo, as in common practice in fashion photography, so I will need to pull certain details from the snapshots. Check back in mid November if you'd like to see the final portrait!
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