| This
section gives some additional information on the types
of medium I use, their advantages and limitations. The
information is in no way a comprehensive commentary.
When
it comes to choosing the medium for your portrait it
is a matter of personal choice and there are no hard
and fast rules. The following guidelines have been provided
for guidance only.
Pencil/Graphite
Pencil 
Black
and white pencil drawings are fast becoming a very popular medium.
Pencil can often best portray the soft and fluffy coats of animals
and is a most expressive medium for children and adults. It is particularly
appropriate for portraying the delicate nature of human hair. The
medium can also be very effective for making shadows and light,
stronger and more dynamic. The details of buildings and particularly
trees can be brought out with the use of pencil.
Coloured
Pencil
This
medium has been around for many years but was not generally used
for fine art portraits. However it is now growing in popularity
as a medium for portraits. It has all of the qualities of Pencil (eg it can be used for detailed and precise work) but with
the added advantage of colour which can be used to enhance the visual
and emotional impact of the final work.
In
animal portraits it can bring out the colours of the coat, and in
people this medium can be used to produce natural looking skin and
hair tones. This medium can be softer and more subtle than pencil
and graphite pencil work.
Sometimes
an undercoat of watercolour is used with the more detailed work
on top in colour pencil. This rendering can give a "glowing"
quality to the portrait.
Pen
and Ink
This
is a very traditional medium. There is nothing quite like a pen and ink drawing. This medium is especially good for portraying buildings, houses and trees. It is more difficult to do a portrait of a person
in this medium as you cannot get the subtle tones needed to bring
form to a face. However I have used the medium to great effect in animal
portraits with a light colour wash on top of the ink work to show
the colour(s) of the animal's coat. Pen and ink is quite often used with watercolour property portraits
to bring out details such as windows, doors, roof tiles, brickwork
etc where necessary.
Watercolour
This
is the more traditional medium and can be used for all types of
portraits. It is perfect for houses, gardens and buildings, bringing
out the subtle colours of stone and brick work, trees, grasses and
flowers As mentioned above I will normally use pen and ink to enhance
and sharpen up details. With watercolour colorful skies can be created
and "light and atmosphere" put into the picture.
In
animal and human portraiture there tends to be less detail than
with pencil drawing. However this can give a stronger and more solid
looking "traditional" portrait. If more details are required
in the final portrait watercolour pencil can be used on top of the
painting to enhance detail.
Overview
I
have tried to give you a brief overview of the mediums I use and
some guidelines on choosing a medium. However when producing a non
black and white portrait I will quite often use a mix of mediums
to achieve the desired results. There are many examples of the different
medium on the site. If you are still unsure as to which medium would
suit you best please contact me to
discuss your personal requirements. |
