Studying A Portrait By Sargent
5yr
All of the time, when I’m not making analog paintings, I am making breakdowns of great portraits. Doesn’t take a lot of time and it really sharpens you’re eye to see what they were up to. This one is by Sargent.
This sketch, by the way, is made with Photoshop, using my Cintiq Pro 24".
It looks like you are focusing on the planes of the face and form in this example. Would you also recommend breaking down portraits into other elements such as value ranges, hot vs. cold or sharp vs. lost edges? Or do you recommend analyzing something else, like a landscape for those types of elements? I think I have a harder time with overall composition and balancing values than anything else, so I wonder if this type of analysis on a portrait is something I should focus on?
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5yr
Studies like this (linear structure) are great for portraiture but can also be modified to suit other subject matter. In general though different types of break downs will be better for different learning goals. I think that all of the ones that you mention sound really good!
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5yr
I think all those are examples of good studies. You can study pretty much everything from masters like Sargent.
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5yr
lol, did Wacom sponsor this post?
Nice breakdown as always!
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5yr
Wish I had them as a sponsor- lol. Just trying to anticipate the "what kind of pencil" questions- materials always matter.
