1:12 Successor

Successor as a portrait exercise

This piece stands or falls on the face. The bust treatment cuts everything else away, so what the viewer sees in the result is mainly the eyes, the mouth and the modeling of the cheeks. Anyone who wants to take trouble over making the figure look alive gets, in 1:12, an area large enough to hold even fine transitions of skin tone.

Where a face is decided

The eyes are the most sensitive place in the whole job and at the same time the first thing the viewer looks at. It works well to paint them before everything else, while the surrounding areas are still untouched and a correction will spoil nothing. Only then are the skin tones built up, from the darkest base toward the highlights. The lips and the area around the eyes take only a very gentle finish; overdone contrast turns a portrait into a mask.

What to watch out for when finishing

Skin looks most natural in a matte rendering, while the eyes and the lips take a light sheen. You will solve that combination by giving the whole piece a matte coat and then bringing the sheen back only in spots. Finish the hair and the fabric of the clothing with a dry brush at the very end, so that the edges are brought out with no risk of paint running into a face that is already done.

Who the piece is for

• for painters who want to move their work with skin tones on
• for collectors of character portraits
• for a calmer evening project
• for practicing technique before a larger competition piece

Under a spotlight in a display cabinet the modeling of the face stands out markedly better than in the diffuse light of a room.