The importance of painting from a live sitting cannot be overstated. I am able to achieve far superior results from a sitting than from photo reference alone particularly regarding color. In the first sitting I work to establish the best possible gesture to help express the character of the person to be painted. Lighting and composition are developed.
This sitting will ideally include a period for preliminary color sketching and blocking in the composition. I will also include shooting some reference photography for recording certain wardrobe details, etc. These digital photos are also viewed with subject to gain collaborative agreement on facial expression preferences and the overall pose.
This sitting may be on location or in my studio, depending on the nature of the portrait. Note: if small children are involved, the photo reference part of the sitting is the most important.
Total time for this sitting is approximately 2 hours.
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