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I've been keen to try portraits, and have done a few faces in the past, but have really only fudged & fluked any semblance of reality.
I did a course in January, but haven't had the time to keep up the practice, and did a pic of one of our daughters 2 weeks ago- it still needs fixing, but I wasn't disappointed. I'll post it another time, after it's fixed.
A friend had his 60th last Saturday, so on Friday night, as a present for him, I did this picture of his wife, when she was a young teenager, from an old small black & white photo that his daughter emailed to me.
It's on A2 size cartridge paper (16" x 24") using opaque & transparent water-based inks/colours. I did it in grey, then put the colour tint over it afterwards to make it look like an old photo. A fair bit of the detail just was not there in the original, but it was received well. I'm happy with it, considering how I began, and how out of practise/rough I am still.
Time permitting, I want to try more of this, with a few old timers around the district, & our kids as early guinea pigs!
(edit to add- it's airbrushed- I found both my Paache VLs not fine enough, & I bought a Badger 150-7 set on ebay & used the finest needle in it. I thought it worked nicely. I'd like to try an Eclipse hp-bcs, but haven't saved up enough aussie dollars yet. I didn't use any masking or french curves anywhere, just freehand brushing (for a few hours!).
The photo is taken lying on the floor- carpet is behind it.)
[ February 28, 2005, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Nice job, Ian. I have yet to do airbrushing well. I broke out some pencils that Santa brought & tried drawing faces again (it used to be my forte) but I am sadly out-of-practice. Glad you added a gleam in her eyes. To me, that is the finishing touch. Love....Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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That is fantastic Ian, for the little time you have been at it, it looks like you are in for a lot of fun. Keep the pics coming.
-------------------- Drane Signs Sunshine Coast Nambour, Qld. dranesigns@bigpond.com Downunder "To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer" Posts: 965 | From: Nambour, Qld. Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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I think that your portrait looks great! I think you captured the look very well!
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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Ian, you have what it takes and the more you do , the better they become. Keep at it, I think it is excellent.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Wow, thank you JillB, Randy, Dave, Bruce, Catherine, Bill (especially), Wayne (& Pat W, too, for the emailed hints).
It IS fun, and the appreciation you get from the receiver makes it all the more worthwhile! I just need to get better & quicker. Thanks for the compliments, folks!
P.S. I don't know how it rates with others, but it took me 5 hours from roughly pencilling it out to deciding to stop. A lot of that was in overdoing a patch, then fixing that, then refixing the repair, then starting again.....!
[ March 02, 2005, 12:42 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Not bad Ian the venturi method has helped? I can see a few problem areas but that is being critical but looks ok.Did you use any freehand shields or use your hands.
-------------------- Mark Stokes Mark Stokes Signs Mount Barker South Australia Posts: 388 | From: Mount Barker | Registered: Jan 2005
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& thanks Mark, you can be critical- I'll only learn from that!
I didn't use any masks other than my fingers/hand for the bit of the cheek near the ear where there's neck behind it, and for the hardish edge of light coming down the centre of the nose, and the 2 little lumpy bits between the nose and top lip. Also for the little wrinkle on the left (looking at it) of her mouth.
The original pic I had was lacking a lot of detail in places that I needed it, so I had to 'create' a bit. (eg the mouth was just a blur, but the shading was as I did it, only not quite as dark as the original. The detail in the hair was all but invisible (black hair) too.)
[ March 02, 2005, 06:13 AM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Ian Looks good. But!, try staying away from black. Even black people aren't black. It flattens. Your airbrush work is nice.
-------------------- Ed CJ Williams CJ Graffx Christiana,Pa. cjgraffx@comcast.net Just have'n fun.... Posts: 296 | From: Christiana,Pa. | Registered: May 1999
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Ian this is great...and as Bill stated doing more just makes you even better...I hold a airbrush class here on tuesday nights and try to pass on that which I have learned...But most imortant( and kind of selfish) it forces me to practice weekly...It funny its just supposed to be 7pm -10 pm...its been rare not to go to midnight or after just having to much fun...again great work.
-------------------- Pat Welter Masterhand Signs and Designs Unity, Saskatchewan.Canada Posts: 1304 | From: Unity, Saskatchewan.Canada | Registered: May 1999
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We've been on solar, generator & battery power here for the last 13 years, but next month we're getting connested to the mains power grid, so I won't feel guilty running the air compressor & practising!
Previously we had to have 'the big generator' on to run the compressor, and the fuel cost ($1 per hr) kept you minimising running time as much as possible. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to practising more, maybe even redoing that picture.
Ed, I didn't actually use a 'black' but a diluted black with process blue added to tone it down a little & improve its life when making a grey with it. Maybe it needs more blue!
Thanks, I appreciate the feedback.
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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