Three Generations

Another relatively small portrait, this time in acrylics, is of three members of the same family but three different generations. I started work on a 12 x 16" Loxley canvas board, painting earthy colours over the background first. Next I spent time drawing the figures onto the canvas, taking care to get their features in the right place. I blocked in the colours of their clothing, adding shading while the paint was wet on each section and blending it in. Then I started the fiddly task of putting their features in with the smallest brush in my studio. Most of the painting was done with a size 0 rigger and minute blending of colours to get the tones in the right places. I deliberately kept the background loose so as not to detract from the detail and darkened the areas near their faces to help them stand out more. This was a very fiddly portrait as I don't often work that small on facial features but I think I've got their likenesses. A good judge is comparing it on my computer as you can see both the photo and the portrait same size side by side. The best judge will be the family themselves!