Wanna Be Portrait Painter Uses Digital Tools as Artistic Aides
A computer and projector can aid your artistic expression. I'm an aspiring portrait painter (along with a host of other artistic ambitions). Yet, I work fulltime as an educator, so it's difficult to find a time when my painting desires align with a few free hours.
A special thanks to my daughter, Elya, for being my subject.
I'm also at the beginning of the (intimidating) painting learning curve and need all the help I can get. So when the urge and open time aligned, recently, I set up my digital tools to help me capture the lines, hues, highlights, and shadows of a photograph I wanted to use in a mixed media portrait.
I played around with the angle, distance, and height of my projector in relation to the canvas.
I wanted to create a partial portrait (more on that in a later post), so I kept elevating the projector until I found the right spot.
Next, I lightly traced the lines of my subject's face with a General's charcoal pencil—selected because it erases easily.
Then I used Shiva Artist's Paintstiks Oil Colors to mix different skin tones. I applied them with brushes and fingers. (Kelly Rae Roberts explains the process in her book, Taking Flight: Inspiration + Techniques to Give your Creative Spirit Wings.)
I tried not to over think the process, but, instead, function from artistic impulse, as I dabbled and brushed, smeared and layered.
At some point, I shut off the projector and decided to freewheel it over the canvas. When I heard our children arriving for a visit, I quickly put away the supplies and propped the canvas up in my new hutch, so I could muse over the next painting session add ons.
You can find inexpensive projectors at http://www.tigerdirect.com/. With this technique, you can scan something you'd like to use in your artwork into your computer, and then project it onto the canvas.
Or, use an Artograph Prism or Super Prism Art Projectors http://www.dickblick.com/products/artograph-prism-and-super-prism-art-projectors/.
Have a happy time painting! If you're willing (and courageous), I'd love to feature your finished or in-progress project.
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