Portrait Tips

Came across this video a short while back.  It talks about taking good photographic portraiture but the principles hold true for any portrait work. The critiques are great.  Joe McNallys site is here.

Sketches 26

Sketches 26

 

  Trying to pick this activity back up again - installment 26 with a little gesture time thrown in. 

Portrait Study 9

 

Portrait Study 9

Have not done any portrait practice for a while.  This one was happened by chance as I just chose  a random file  option on  Wikimedia. 

Baroque Sofa Study

Baroque Sofa Study

Thought I had got the last of these posted but no -one was still lurking.  A study from the speedpaint study group on DA.   Reference from two-ladies-stocks.   

I am fortunate to have 2 monitors to work from.  I usually put ref on 1 and work from the other.   A continuing issue that I kind of ignored was that they were not matched for colour and brightness.  I started Livestreaming and the default monitor for their software is the second monitor.  This has forced me to eventually try and balance them both as best I can.  The reason I mention this is that this was started on Livestream and was a much darker image when I compared to the ref.  I spent some time trying to correct it so this did go over the 2 hours. 

Sligo Courthouse Study

Sligo Courthouse

Sligo Courthouse

A study of a Sligo courthouse  photograph taken probably in the 1900s.  The building remains as a courthouse and the police station remains across the road as it seems was the case back then judging by the figure in the foreground.  More information about the building is here. 

Interior 2

Interior 2

As promised did a longer attempt at an interior. These are hard but I am sure they are good practice. 

A Fall

A Fall

After all those interior studies felt the need to break out some curves and unruly lines.
  
This is loosely based on the myth of  Tír na nÓg.  The hero Oisin meets a mysterious woman Niamh of the Golden Hair,  falls in love and returns with her to Tír na nÓg (land of the young).  After a time he gets homesick and Niamh lets him return but warns he must remain on the horse he travels back to Ireland on. When home he learns that 300 years have passed and all those he knew are gone.   He stops to aid some men moving a stone.  While doing this he falls from the horse and instantly ages and dies.  The horse returns to Tír na nÓg.