Recent "CHUCK BERRY" Portrait project
Here is a step-by-step process showing the execution of a recent portrait that I did for the Argosy Casino, as a surprise gift for Chuck Berry, for his 80th birthday. My method of working always begins with small, thumbnail concepts, that by themselves tend to be rather abstract, and not containing much detail. They are more for placement and composition, which allows me to deal more conceptually with the images I want to include in the painting. I hope you will be able to follow along with the process as I've laid it out. Hope you enjoy the ride, as much as I did!!
From the thumbnail above I have finalized the finished drawing, using the composition of the thumb as my guide. I had a larger print of the drawing made on a watercolor paper, then mounted onto gator board for a base.
In this shot of my Taboret, you can see that I'm using Jars of opaque gouache. I have kept all the old Pelikan jars that the product use to come in, and I'm constantly refilling these jars with the tubed colors that are the only thing available in todays' art stores. The reason I still have these jars is they are easier to open and close than the twist off tops that come with the tubed materials. The next phase of painting will be done using Holbein Acryla Gouache.
The next two images show how I rim lite the main image and the two smaller images on each side with different hues of color to help step down the hardness of the edging on these areas. It's at this point that i decide on a color to underpaint the total background area.
From this point on, the painting was beginning to take on more of a total, tonal look, with all areas of the surface covered with more opaque paint You can see the development taking place as you scroll down each image to the final pic of the completed painting. The last day of the painting process turned into an all-nighter, in order to make the deadline, and get the piece framed. It turned out well, and the recipient, Chuck Berry, was totally thrilled with the end results.
From the thumbnail above I have finalized the finished drawing, using the composition of the thumb as my guide. I had a larger print of the drawing made on a watercolor paper, then mounted onto gator board for a base.
In this shot of my Taboret, you can see that I'm using Jars of opaque gouache. I have kept all the old Pelikan jars that the product use to come in, and I'm constantly refilling these jars with the tubed colors that are the only thing available in todays' art stores. The reason I still have these jars is they are easier to open and close than the twist off tops that come with the tubed materials. The next phase of painting will be done using Holbein Acryla Gouache.
The next two images show how I rim lite the main image and the two smaller images on each side with different hues of color to help step down the hardness of the edging on these areas. It's at this point that i decide on a color to underpaint the total background area.
From this point on, the painting was beginning to take on more of a total, tonal look, with all areas of the surface covered with more opaque paint You can see the development taking place as you scroll down each image to the final pic of the completed painting. The last day of the painting process turned into an all-nighter, in order to make the deadline, and get the piece framed. It turned out well, and the recipient, Chuck Berry, was totally thrilled with the end results.
posted by Bill Vann Art at 2:14 PM
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