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Oil Portrait Commission from the
Institute of Social
Research at the University of Michigan
"Ida Irene Hess"
Oil Portrait Demonstration 16 x 20"
February 19, 2010
Oil Portrait bistre, an underpainting by Lisabelle
March 2010.
An oil portrait demonstration,
begins with a drawing. The image above is a bistre in oil, of
the Late Beloved University of Michigan's Irene Hess. A bistre, is an
underpainting of a commissioned oil portrait, that sets the range, by laying in
the lightest and darkest of tones at the very outset of painting. For the underpainting I have
chosen burnt umber as my darkest tone, burnt sienna for the middle tones
and white to make a tonal value study of the subject. In painting, tone
refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color. One color can have
an almost infinite number of different tones. Below, the most recent
stages in the development of Irene Hess' portrait.
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Painting of Irene Hess Continues... March 17, 2010 |
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Every color can produce a variety of tones; how light or
dark these are depends on the color. It's important to realize that
tones are relative, that how dark or light they seem depends on what's
going on around them. A tone that's obviously light in one context may
seem darker in another, especially when it's surrounded by even lighter
tones.
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If a painting is going to be successful, you must get
the tones right, otherwise it's going lack harmony. A good practice is
studying a black and white photograph for an understanding of tonal
values from light to dark and all the various grays in between.
Color mixing and application, adjusting shapes and tones. Being
careful with detail areas, if necessary, repainting lines to maintain
correct likeness.
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The painting is nearing it's completion, I
am continuing to paint the details such as hair, eyes, clothing and
background. More images are on the way.
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Close-up Irene Hess Oil Portrait |
Closer-up Portrait |
Irene Hess Oil Portrait by Lisabelle |
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IRENE HESS 1910 - 2009
Oil on Linen
16x20"
Art By Lisabelle
| A recent portrait commission of Irene Hess in
oil. 16x20" Oil on fine portrait linen. A bust style
portrait from the shoulders up. I work from photos and from
sittings. When possible both. In this case it is a posthumous
portrait and it is worked only from photographs.
Thanks to Irene's colleagues at the Institute for Social
Research, I had several photos given to me, making it
possible to familiarize myself with her character and
personality. I was also given a biography from her
Memorial. Irene Hess was a prominent Statistician, and a
pioneer for women in the field of Social Research. Another
interesting thing regarding Irene Hess, that
inspired me, was that she walked everywhere, never having
owned a car, by her own choice. A portrait is
a personal life study and much more. This portrait in oil was
commissioned by The Institute of Social Research, University of
Michigan April 2010. To have a custom oil portrait painted
contact mail@lisabelle-artist.com |
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