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Archie McDougall
BSc(Hons) MSc CEng MIET Oil Paintings & Drawings |
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Archie McDougall
BSc(Hons) MSc CEng MIET Oil Paintings & Drawings |
Portraits
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I find portraits both enjoyable and challenging. Whether it is
using charcoal, pastels or oils, I am always surprised at how tiny
adjustments to the features can affect the overall likeness of
the subject. Despite its need for accuracy, I very much enjoy
the process of interpretation of a subjects image. Although I
tend to work from photographs, I try to avoid the temptation of
making the painting an exact copy of the photo. I prefer to do
colour studies of the subject in real life first. This usually
means taking some time to set up the lighting and backdrop to
best effect before taking several photos. I find the colour
temperature of the light source and the shadow effects on the
subject are of prime importance. Once this is satisfactory, a
bracketed set of photos (spread of exposures) helps reduce the
loss of detail in shadows and highlights which is typical in
photography. Below are three stages in a self portrait oil painting where I wished I had at least attempted a bit of a smile :-) |
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Other recent portraits in pastels and charcoal.... |
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Portrait Artist Competition |
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