Portrait Commission Sneak Peak

Fresh from completing a recently commissioned portrait for a group honoring their beloved Dean—whose unveiling I will share in a future post—I have now begun work on the next piece.

As my colleagues and students would know, I rarely begin a portrait by painting the face immediately. Instead, I first establish the context of the figure. This usually means blocking in the background and making sense of its color relationships and values, then gradually developing the clothing, the gesture of the arms, and the placement of the major forms of the torso. Only after these elements are in place do I begin to carefully work on the face.

The early stages of the work involve blocking in the colors of the major sections of the painting.

This particular portrait will take some time to complete, as it also features the intricate calado design of the barong. I find great enjoyment in working through the delicacy of the pattern, slowly building a convincing sense of embroidered texture through subtle highlights and cast shadows.

During this initial block-in phase, the main features of the face are carefully established. The refinement of form, the interplay of highlights and shadows, and the smoother blending of color values will be developed in the later stages.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/fde9e1_610ecdec3e374d1bbab5fe9cc24fd2b8/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

A timelapse of the color block-in process, giving a rough preview of the painting’s overall appearance.

As with most paintings, patience becomes part of the process. While the earlier layers are left to dry, the image gradually develops toward its final stages. I look forward to the journey of bringing this piece to completion over the coming weeks.