3 Value Portraits

 This past week was a continuation of 3 - Value portraits, Andy Warhol style.

Here are some of Andy Warhol's famous portraits to give you an idea of the final result:

Liz Taylor: light value, pink; medium value-red for lips, blue in eye; dark value - black. Added background blue.

Below:Mao: Light value, pale blue; medium value peach in lips and background and yellow in clothes; dark value, black. Kept some white.

Michael Jackson: light value peach; Medium values blue in face, green in background; dark values: dark blue  (Hair, face) and red in clothing and hair.

The last post showed how to use Notanizer to create a 3-4 value picture. This week we modified the sketches. This is an important step. Notanizer is just a tool, not an end result. Like a basic recipe that you adjust to your own tastes. Here are some points to remember:

1. Keep the shapes as simple as possible. You are trying to get the essence of that person, not every detail. Only do as much as it takes to make it identifiable.

 2. Smooth out any jagged lines, especially on children and women. Jagged lines make them look older. and it makes painting it harder.

3. Eliminate anything that makes the face look silly or clownish.

4. If an area has too much black (or white), check the original photo to see what you can add into it to make it look more like the person. Example: There is so much shadow on the eye that it looks like a pirate patch. You might have to examine the photo to see if you can add an eye lid or light in the eye to make it look more like the person.

5. Try using 4 values to get the effect you want. 

ADDING COLOR

You can pick any color for the light value as long as you paint it light (watered down).

When you are painting the face, YOU DO NOT NEED FLESH TONES. This is Andy Warhol style, anything goes. Just pick three colors you like together. I like to paint the entire face with the lightest values first. Then for the second value I just need to paint everything that is 2nd and 3rd value, leaving the light value untouched. Then for the darkest values, I just have to paint over what is darkest values, leaving the mid value and light value untouched. 

First value painted on all the face. (you can choose to just put the first value on those areas only, but I find this easier)

Second value painted on all that is NOT the first value.

Third value painted on only what is darkest.

It's your choice whether you want to paint the background. 

I chose 3 colors to simplify, but if you want to add another color or white that's fine too.

My object here was for you to see the main shapes and values that make a person identifiable.

 

Portraits

 We are beginning a 6-week concentration on portraits. This will not necessarily be DRAWING portraits, but painting them in watercolor. However, we will be covering a bit about drawing just to understand the structure and how it could be painted.

This week is mostly introduction and instruction on the first project: an Andy Warhol style portrait using the app Notanizer. The app is only about $2 for either android or apple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpj6nPluM3I&t=258s

Start with a photo that you would like to paint. Adjust the 3-level areas until you are happy with the result. (adjust by using the slide at the bottom) You can also try 4 levels. Print out the result the size you want it to be, especially if you are tracing. Make adjustments as needed. You don't want a lot of details or jagged edges, and if an important area was lost, use a marker to draw it in. Eliminate unimportant parts, like background or over-fussy areas. The Notan is a starting point, and it's up to you to refine the drawing.

Trace the markings onto watercolor paper. 

Decide which colors you want to be light, medium, or dark values. You can make it monochrome, but it's fun to come up with color combinations. Generally, colors in light values are yellows, but if you paint wet enough, they can be any color. 

I often paint the entire face first in my light value, no matter what. After it dries, I paint the other two values in the medium value color, right over the light value. Then I paint the dark value color over that in the areas I want dark.

Here's an example:

Carol L's photo:

Photo changed and adjusted in Notanizer, 3 values.

I also printed out the black and white for later reference.

Here is the picture transferred to watercolor paper. Note some changes.

Here is my first value layer. (Some choose to leave this white) I used yellow.

You can use a pale shade of any color, warm works best.

Here is my second value layer painted with green over the first. 

Third value layer painted in Prussian blue.

PRACTICE FOR PAINTING SKIN TONES

There are several skills we are going to work on throughout this six weeks. 

One is creating skin tones. Another is going to be softening edges.

You can use this pattern or just use squares or circles for this.

Choose two colors for the basic skin tone; for example, raw sienna and coral.

Then choose two more colors, one that would cool off the mixture; one that would warm it.

you can choose blues, greens, violets for cooling; oranges (esp burnt orange) and reds to warm it.

In one area, lay down the skin tone base. One one edge use a cool color to the wet paint; on the other edge use a warm color to warm it up.

One the one beside it, paint the skin tone base and let it dry... after it is DRY, glaze over it with a cool color, then on the other side, glaze with a warm color.

Do this experiment with different skin bases and different cools and warms. Try to replicate several skin tones, both light and dark.

Here is one of my blogs on flesh tones:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8812132386157895665/2223522913854128563

Here are some youtubes that describe ways to mix flesh tones. There are so many ways, and you will find one that feels good to you.

Emily Olson: 6 min video on color mixing for skin tones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QECbTP1gJ0A

Jane-Beata

13 min video using 3 colors only

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrtQd7yofTc

Bucciarelli - 16 min - the first 10 discuss mixing 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka2K2Jmi2XE

Mind of Watercolor - 21 min.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvPEbXAtUsE