Portrait painting is just so difficult. I really struggle with these. Whereas I can spend 15 minutes on a landscape and get the essence of the subject, I often find myself spending days and weeks to figure out a portrait.
How do you really get the character of the person onto the canvas?
A portrait is meant to not just visually describe the person but is meant to make them live. To do that you have to find some small aspect of their identity and make it come through. It is very, very hard and I have so much respect for those that can do it well.
My favorite portrait artist? Well, it’s actually Leonardo Da Vinci. He really was a master and I was so thrilled to have visited Florence this last year to at least be in the same place that he once walked.
For me, I’ve got a long way to go.
But I wanted to share with you one of my more successful portraits. Successful in the sense that I think I captured Yu Ying’s confidence in this one.
Enjoy it as I’m not sure I could do it again. 
1 response so far ↓
1 Joe // Aug 25, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Well, I don’t know Yu Ying but I thing you did pretty well. I myself am not an expert at portrait either. As an art admirer, I could critique. Somehow, I think the highlights on her face are too white or her shadows from facial curvature are too dark. In other words too much contrast on the face; not enough in between shades/blends.
Leave a Comment