Portraiture ProjectBy Eleanor Pipe

The first painting I chose to study was ‘The Graham Children’ by William Hogan. I chose to study this as the rounded faces and eyes have an eerie quality I found visually interesting. The second painting I chose to study was ‘Beatrice’ by Benjamin Fenske. I chose to study this piece as the style of painting was aesthetically pleasing to me.The first piece was oil on canvas and had a very smooth and fluid composition and use of mark making – much like the other paintings of that period. Also reminiscent of the period is the muted colours, mainly pastels and browns. The Painting itself is quite large in scale and the children are evenly spaced out In the painting, having the tallest in the middle and the smallest at the ends, lets the eye bend over the subjects. The second piece is oil paint on linen and contrary to the first the marks made are, in general, solid colours. Due to this the colours aren’t as blended as the first painting – yet the paintings warm colour tone makes it more fluid and almost flow. This painting was medium in scale and the subjects head is in the very centre of the piece focusing the eye.In ‘The Graham Children’ by William Hogan he interpreted the childlike innocence of the subjects to a different level. He slightly alters the children's faces and features so they become rounder. However this creates an unnerving atmosphere to the painting. Whereas in ‘Beatrice’ by Benjamin Fenske, he has interpreted his subject in a less realistic way, using less blending techniques. This creates just slightly more of an abstract look than the other painting, therefore giving it a more mysterious atmosphere.

Portrait painting: a) Initial sources

I sketched my face in different positions. I used the same media (graphite pencil) and the same style of drawing – a line drawing that I would use if I were to paint over it. I did this so I could develop my idea with more ease as it would be fairer. Half way through sketching my face I sketched some continuous line drawings to get a greater understanding of my facial structure and to have more luck developing my ideas.After drawing out my facial ideas I then went on to decide how to develop my individual response to the source painting (‘Beatrice’ y Benjamin Fenske). I experimented with layout before deciding to keep it similar to the painting I'm inspired by. I decided to have just me in the painting with my shoulders showing. I also decided to take what I felt the background re colours represented ( Her personality) and use that idea in my background. My ideas evolved because originally I was planning to include items/objects in the background that represent me – but after being inspired by the painting I decided to use colours to represent my personality.After creating the more detailed painting of ‘Beatrice’ By Benjamin Fenske this developed my idea to include that style of painting and this colour palette. Then I used graphite to develop my idea for the layout.

Portrait painting: b) experiments and decisions

Evaluate the final outcome –

What did you learn about the process of developing ideas using drawing and painting? How did you solve problems in the final outcome? I learnt about how you need to sketch and develop your ideas before starting the painting. I solved problems by continuing to add layers of paint. – for example overall my face is too elongated and my chin was the wrong shape, so to fix this I changed my hair to cover my face and changed the shadows underneath my chin.

What did you learn about portraiture and visual language? What does the final outcome communicate and how?I learnt the large differences that small changes can make. Changes like the degree that the subject is sitting or subtle changes in their expression – these can alter the meaning of the painting greatly. My final outcome communicates myself and my personality, through colour and style.

What did you learn about media and materials? Did certain approaches/media work better than others? I learnt about my preferences about media and approaches, for example the painting ‘Beatrice’ style is much more visually interesting compared to ‘The Graham Children’

Portrait painting: final outcome

Looking back across the year to last September, the assignments and activities that were important to me as learning experiences was probably the Natural and Man made project. This is probably due to the range of new techniques and materials I hadn’t come across before. Like using the workshop and creating three dimensional models. This meant that I learnt a lot during this project which I then used and can use in future projects

How did your skills and understanding develop over the year. What have you learned about your strengths?My skills and understanding of the different aspects of art developed a lot over the year. I have learnt that my strengths lie In more drawing aspects of art – like fine art, fashion and illustration.

Looking forward – What do you think you need to work on in the second year? As much as I learnt my strengths I also learnt my weaknesses and things I need to work on in the second year. One skill I need to work on is my use of art on the computer – whether its Photoshop or illustrator I need to develop my skills. Also I would like to develop my presentation skills further so my work can look better presented.

• Reflecting on year 1 – take your portfolios

How have your ideas about progression developed over the year? My ideas of progression have just about remained the same. I intend to study an art foundation then Costume at University or just go straight to University.

What qualities, skills, experience and qualifications will you need to achieve this?I will need a varied portfolio from both Art and Design and Fashion

How will you develop and build toward these in Year 2?I will do a varied amount of work, focusing on developing my portfolio.

• Plans for the future