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Ria Sharon

pondering creativity, process, and making art

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Drawing from life: selfie #2 and portrait composition

October 3, 2020 by riasharon

pencil selfie

Goldfarb 6b

Art Professor Shows How to Compose a Portrait

  • Shift away from dead center
  • Emphasize lighting
  • Diagonals are super helpful because they have direction; versus vertical and horizontal lines which are stable
  • Negative space: example Barry Moser, Kara Walker
  • 3/4 view or cast shadows that create their own mass (to offset something that would be dead center)
  • Look at a portrait through an abstract lens (fights the emotional baggage)
  • Start by blocking large areas of space, paint everything in relationship to other things, address the whole thing; don’t linger on one area. Keep moving.
  • Don’t use measurement systems. Measure with our eyes!
  • The angle/tilt of the head/posture, orientation ala Modigliani or Jenny Seville 
  • surface and texture (Leon Golub)

So many ways to open up narrative possibilities, even in just head, neck, and shoulders. Much much more than eyes, nose, and mouth.

Assignments:

  • Watch self-portrait tutorial
  • Do self-portraits in sketchbook every day, even if it’s just 5 min.
  • Draw from life while in MN
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Filed Under: DIY art school, portrait

A little about me

I have an undergraduate degree in art. By day, I work in higher ed and in my free time I'm currently putting myself through DIY grad school.

I teach classes on creativity and inspiration on Skillshare. I occasionally share my original paintings on Etsy and fine art prints on Minted. I've also been known to make puppy portraits.

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