Initial designs | clarehedgesmua

I decided to sketch out my models features in a the style of my portrait and add the pieces that I intend to create.

I found this beneficial as it helped me get to know my portrait more in depth. I began to notice parts of the portrait I had not noticed previously.

I can see now that the eyebrows are very close together. This has confirmed to me that I will definitely need to knot eyebrow pieces to recreate this look.

My models face shape is similar however Rembrandt has quite defined cheek bones on the right side. I plan to experiment with recreating this definition using contouring.

I noticed that my model (although in this picture is at a different angle) has a very similar nose tip to Rembrandt in his portrait.

Rembrandt does have a much slimmer nose than my model. I would perhaps use a nose bump to try and make my models nose narrower.

I plan to recreate the highlighting that you can see on Rembrandts nose and on other areas of his face.

Studying the portrait allowed me to get to know some of the areas that I will be recreating better.

It has given me a better understanding of shapes and tone for example in Rembrandts beard and moustache.

My model has a very different skin tone in comparison to my chosen portrait. I plan to recreate this skin colour. I am going to experiment with using different foundations and grease paints and see if this is effective.

INITIAL COLOUR/TEXTURE TEST

INITIAL DESIGN IDEAS

I wanted to experiment using the colours and highlights that are found on my portrait using a mix of foundations and greasepaints.

I think the highlighting was effective on the nose in particular. I did not consider the colours on the cheek and instead used white. I feel I could have thought about this more however I feel it works as a starting point for my idea.

I did not consider the use of colours before starting which was an error as when it came to applying the colour, deciding which colours to choose was rushed and also time consuming.

Although I feel this technique could work, I need to be more confident with my use of colour particularly in my tests.

Rembrandt's skin in his self portrait is quite yellow/olive and almost looks quite sallow in comparison to my models skin tone. I would need to consider the best way to replicate these colours. It would also be important to consider the lighting when the pictures for my portrait are taken to ensure that it does not wash out the colours too much (which I found when using flash on my proper camera) or perhaps I would need to overcompensate for this by using darker colours. This is something I would need to experiment with.

I initially was keen to recreate Rembrandts 'Self Portrait at the Age of 63' for my living portrait. However I have decided that with my limited choice of models, it would be difficult to recreate the portrait successfully. I would require a larger and perhaps slightly older model to do this. I considered that perhaps I could give the illusion of plumpness using highlights and contour however I have decided against this.

I also feel that portrait would have been too big a challenge as this is the first time I have tried prosthetics.

I looked at more Rembrandt paintings as I like his paintings a lot. I found 'A Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat' and decided that this would be ideal to recreate for my living portrait.

I chose this portrait as it allows me to practice my postiche skills with possibly a beard, moustache and eyebrows. I also like that the portrait requires some aging with wrinkles under the eyes but is not too old and therefore I could still use a young model.

PLAN FOR PIECES

I have decided that for my portrait I will be recreating eye bags and a nose bump. The eye bags will be sillicone flat pieces. I have decided to use silicone as I feel this is the best material as it will give me an edge which is easy to blend. I have experiemented with silicone eye bags and I have been happy with the result.

I intend to create my nose bump out of gelatin using a closed mould. I have decided to use gelatin as it is only a small peice and would not require a silicone piece. Gelatin is much cheaper than silicone and as it is only a small piece, I feel this is what would be used in industry. An example of a small gelatin nose piece being used in industry, is by Mark Coulier on a nose bridge piece on Meryl Streep in the Iron Lady.

POSTICHE

I plan to create a moustache and eyebrows using human hair. These will be brown to match the colour of the painting. My model has a beard which I intend to paint as it does not make sense to create a beard for someone who already has a beard. I shall test the colours to ensure that they match the colours used in the moustache and eyebrows. I will use a very small brush to paint some of the hairs of the beard but I shall mainly use an eyebrow wand to paint several hairs at a time.

Oil on panel
27-1/2 x 21-1/2 in. (69.9 x 54.6 cm)

Painted in 1633, 'A Portrait of a bearded man in a Wide-Brimmed hat' was of a merchant from Amsterdam. The sitter was Pieter Sijen who was 41 years of age at the time of the painting.

This portrait has been described as depicting 'sobriety and modesty, values that were important to the middle class in Amsterdam.' (Norton Gallery).