Jim Hempel Portrait Demo at AC Art Association 2/7/11 (A quick overview)

Jim Hempel, http://www.jameshempel.com/ , gave a portrait demo using oils. He likes to paint life size. He arranges his palette from light to dark and holds his palette so he can compare colors easy. He worked using sight size method where the picture is next to his canvas.

He likes bristle brushes and mainly uses paint and odorless mineral spirits solvent. He says use enough paint and be generous with it. He uses Utrecht oils but also rembrandt, winsor-newton and reimbacher. At the end he may use softer brushes. In the demo he used canvas paper. If he likes the results he would glue it to a masonite board.

In general he squints to see the larger abstract shapes. Using vine charcoal he started with the carriage of the shoulders and neck. Then block in the area around the head. He stepped back often to compare what he was painting to his work.

He paints thin to thick. He sees the shape, mixes the color then paints it. He pulls the paint and holds the brush like a wand. Painting motion comes from your shoulder. He thinks of the painting process as going from out of focus to in focus.

Overall steps

1. Paint the foundation
2. Step down in brush size
3. Finish up by fine tuning top to bottom, paying special attention to lightest lights and darkest darks.
4. Scan through face
5. Flat soft brushes to soften edges. No paint.
6. Highlights