Here is a painting which i finally completed recently, along with a poem inspired by this painting, to illustrate the moment in words.
She flipped and bounced, her eyes twinkling
I turned my head, our gaze meeting
A moment of silence so enchanting
We burst into laughter for reason unknowing
Till our eyes were watering, with the laughter so endearing
Here is a memory so alive with a painting so gratifying
Here is the making of the painting:
If eyes are the soul of a portrait then lips are the ones to express the mood. The expression on the lips control almost the entire contour of the face.
So here is the lovely lips giving a big smile and showing off the sharp nose and chubby cheeks.
1. Monochrome colour outline
2. Applying colours to define the light and the shadow parts, to get the basic contours of the face right.
3. Refining the colour tones, by enhancing cooler colours (shades of blues and purples) in the shadows and warmer colours (shades of yellow, red, white) on well lit parts.
4. Highlighting the areas which have maximum contrast, like the bright spots on the nose, under the nose, lips (makes it more realistic). Softening the edges of the lips which are in the shadow part.
If a portrait comes to life, then eyes are its soul, the sole reason.
So here is this lovely pair of eyes, which is getting done from the recent portrait oil painting which I have started. I thought I could share the process of how each bit of the face evolves as I paint.
1. First a monochrome outline
2. Applying the base colours for the face
3. Refining the colours and tones and giving a more concrete shape for the eyes
4. Getting into the details of the eyes to give it life
